Berlin seems like so long ago now, but I'd love to go back and spend some more time there.. especially since one of the illustrators I was going to get in touch with has moved out there (the week after I left!) but like any city, there is always something going on.. you'll always find something that suits your tastes and some things that will surprise you as you didnt know they were even there! I went to Berlin with the intention of hitting the art galleries and not much else, I dont like being a typical tourist in some places just because certain things/places/sights start to lose their appeal... but here is a recollection of what I saw whilst in Berlin.
Sadly theres no easy way to upload all the pics i want and edit them so here are a select few... in no particular order.
Berlinische Gallery: (site)
this gallery held some interesting pieces of artwork, ranging from sculpture, installation, painting and interactive art.. but the gallery space and building itself felt a little more impressive than some of the artwork contained. Seeing the scale of some of the paintings and being close enough to appreciate the technique and skill was enjoyable.. better than going around the same old galleries in Manchester... but I seemed to be more interested in the 3D work featured.. e.g. Hans Uhlmann's wireframe sculpture and the New Berlin building maquettes. I even enjoyed some of the photography on exhibit there, although i think it was only because it was mainly shot on polaroid!
A rather strange building in the way that it is laid out, and stupidly large considering it used to be a train station.. but again, here I was drawn towards 3D work more than anything else on show.. purely because I feel the audience has a greater experience seeing something exist in three dimensions rather than staring at a flat painting behind glass (or a velvet rope). But saying that, no matter how many times you see an image in a book... it doesn't have the same effect when viewing the piece in real life.. here I got to experience the scale of some of Warhol's work.. and I have to say.. it is IMPRESSIVE!
Sadly, I was too excited and didnt take down the artists name here.. but I loved this little section of the gallery. The entire room looked more like a graffiti installation, rather than being a serious piece of art, it looks more like it was just fun scribbling on the walls... it makes a change after seeing room upon room of bare white walls/sterile environments to have this child like doodle room :) what I was saying about the audience having a greater experience in the viewing of artwork is summed up here where the whole room becomes the artwork in which you almost become a part of by stepping in there!
Direktoren Haus: (site)
Now, ive said the other galleries were rather strange but thats nothing when compared to visiting the Direktoren haus. Firstly, hidden away its a little awkward to find, but the interior looks more like a squatters exhibition in that each room feels like it was someones house before a bunch of artists descended on it and took over. Each room over the 2 floors was uniquely different, housing various works again from painting to sculpture. I certainly wasnt bored, considering I complain about boring flat images.. and its also here that I saw the RGB work of Carnovsky (another piece that envelops the audience in the work due to scale etc). It was great to see how something so simple could work so well with the wall of clock mechanisms slowly ticking and revolving a circular image through 360 degrees. I'm awaiting some footage of the animations playing at the Direktoren Haus but recently, I've been leaning towards the idea of animation.. hopefully when i get my hands on them, i will upload them here.
I've already ranted about my love of the Carnovsky work, so now I can ramble about the work of Konrad Korabiewski's 'Pavirket Som Kun' book. The book was actually placed in the centre of a room on a table, with a set of headphones next to it, directly underneath a low light and with a comfy chair to sit in. Once seated and ready with the headphones on, you open the book.. casually thumbing through the first few pages a music track fades in as you look at the visuals on the page.. then as I kept tuning I noticed these small tabs at the top of some pages.. when i reached the pages and turned them over, the sound track changed.. apparently tying in to the visuals printed.. yet neither james and myself did struggle on some.. feeling like the sound did neither enhance or take away from the pages. Limited to 100 pieces, these hand made books are part of the artwork itself and not just a format used to display them. I'm always keen on seeing new developments in technology and gadgets, and this seems to be a great combination of that mixed with artwork and music (another 2 passions of mine).
site for the book (it takes a while to load!) : link
Konrad Kobiewski's site : link
Litten (publisher?) site : link
stolen info:
About “Påvirket som kun et menneske kan være” book presentation:
With their mutual project Påvirket som kun et menneske kan være (”affected as only a human being can be”), Polish sound artist Konrad Korabiewski and Danish graphic artist Litten have created a groundbreaking interactive artwork – creating a tactile and poetic meeting between sound, image and text. Påvirket som kun et menneske kan være is shaped as a graphic book with build-in sound. The different audio chapters are activated when the pages are turned and can be listened to through headphones or speakers. The book form encourages a slow immersion in and a physical interaction with the artwork. An experience activating several senses. The tactile impression of the work is strongly emphasized by Littens graphic methods mixing several techniques such as collage, hand printed elements, linoleum print and pressed plants, often transgressing the plain page. In a similar way Korabiewski creates a rich and cinematic listening experience with a profound sense of musical space and depth. Live Korabiewski & Litten are mostly joined by German multi instrumentalist Roger Döring, who also plays on the recordings. Påvirket som kun et menneske kan være will be released on Danish label Geiger Records in a limited amount of 100 handfolded copies, each of them with a unique touch
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