Today we have another part of The Berlin Experts series for you. We talked with the adorable couple behind one of the most inspiring Berlin blogs out there: the English expats James & Zoë from überlin. Established in 2010 as an online diary to record their Berlin years überlin has quickly grown into one of the most respectable online publications not only about all the cool things happening in Berlin, its fashion and music scene, but also about the challenging experiences of expats in the German capital. Enjoy their thoughts about Berlin and find out more about their work, after the jump.
by Devid
on May 22nd, 2013
in People
It frequently happens that friends tell me about movies that I’ve heard of numerously, but haven’t ever watched. Some of them are reoccurring (i.e. Apocalypse Now / Easy Rider / Avatar) and each time they are mentioned I’m a little bit more embarrassed, I do hold a diploma in film studies after all.
As I was tied to the bed because of another illness I decided to take it as an educational break and scoured the internet for a “Must-have-seen” list. I found one by The German Federal Agency for Civic Education. filmcritics, -scholars and –makers created the film canon from what they found good and important. I watched three of the films they list in the last couple of days and must say I can’t wait for the others, as those were pretty great…
by Lia
on May 21st, 2013
in Misc., Movies
Today we are launching a new format on the blog: The Fitting Room. This new series will give us the chance to do something we have actually done for quite a while, but never really took full advantage of: Meeting designers we like in their studio and trying on their amazing clothes. But from now on, whenever we will get the chance to do this, we will bring our camera and take pictures to present you their designs here on iHeartBerlin.
We’ll start with Sopopular today, a young Berlin-based menswear label run by designer Daniel Blechman who we visted a few weeks ago in his studio in Kreuzberg. The label is in its fourth year now and has created quite the buzz with their latest Autumn/Winter 2013/14 collection titled The Wild Ones which they presented in the Studio of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week back in January and earned great applause. For their campaign and fashion film they used some bad-boy-style tattooed models that really hit the nerve of the current fashion aesthetics. In their collection they made the smart move of combining current trends such as studs and crochet with their own unique signature silhouettes and fabric mixes. This way they created a look that is both commercially appealing while still maintaining a post-modern attitude. Enjoy the new Sopopular designs worn and photographed by Devid and me.
by Devid
on May 20th, 2013
in Fashion
This week’s Cinéma de Mode brings to you the beautiful fashion film Girls on Bikes by Nehemias Colindres for the latest ready-to-wear collection of Berlin-based designer Antoniya Ivanova. The video showcases the perfect solution for fashionable Berliners riding their bicycle with this year’s peculiar weather patterns: A collection of stylish and unconventional raincoats that do not only let you look good on your bike but are also breathable, comfortable and suitable for every season. The fashion film reflects Ivanova’s elegance and simplicity, yet underlining the creativity and high quality work invested in every single piece. Enjoy some Berlin atmosphere and have a closer look at Ivanova’s beautiful rainwear collection after the jump.
by Devid
on May 18th, 2013
in Fashion, Videos
photos: Bettina Stöß
For more than three years Staatsballet Berlin, one of the best classical dance companies in Europe, and Berghain, for many Berliners the best club in the whole universe, worked on their second artistic collaboration. Based on new electronic music tracks by Henrik Schwarz, Marcel Dettmann with Frank Wiedemann and DIN (Efdemin & Marcel Fengler) three different Staatsballett choreographers presented a contemporary dance piece. The topic and also the title of this three-part evening is: Masse (mass) as a social and physical phenomenon. Read more about my experience of seeing this unique production after the jump.
by Claudio
on May 17th, 2013
in Theatre
There a many ways to do a concept album. Burak Sar aka SIS has chosen one of the most unusual ways. His new album Confidence, published in April on Cocolino, charts his journey training as a horse whisperer. Sounds odd, right? Well, the reason is: SIS actually began being a horse whisperer as an outlet to draw him away from this intense lifestyle and the secluded passion of music making. His experiences in this trade have now inspired his music. On his new album each track is named after horses from international breeds and the title of the album Confidence also refers to horse whispering as well: “The most important thing with working with horses is confidence. We grow together and learn from each other, you need patience and to develop trust.”
In our interview with SIS, we have talked about music by Ricardo Villalobos, Eko Fresh, Anita Ward, Michael Jackson, Apparat and Lady Gaga. More after the jump.
by Jens
on May 17th, 2013
in Music, People
At this point, the American Indie band In The Valley Below are completely unknown in Germany. It is easy to predict that this will change in the near future, as there is a huge potential in their dreamy and melancholic music. Next Tuesday (21 May), the duo from Los Angeles plays a concert at Fluxbau, and we are giving away 2×2 tickets after the jump.
by Jens
on May 16th, 2013
in Music
In the new edition of The Berlin Experts we talk with Linda, a young Berliner whose Instagram lindaberlin has been among our absolut favourites since we started using the popular photo app. Besides being always exceptionally aesthetic, her photostream has attracted our attention especially for Linda’s ability to capture the essence of our city from a different perspective, constantly challenging stereotypical images and classical visions of the Berlin we all know. Enjoy what the Berlin-lover Linda has told us about the highlights of our city,and her special connection to it, after the jump.
by Devid
on May 15th, 2013
in People
Drinking alcohol is normal, socially accepted or even expected. But when it becomes excessive the evaluation quickly shifts to embarrassing, dangerous and frowned upon. But how much is too much? And when is it time to pull the emergency break on drinking? Last year’s Sundance Film Festival showcased a film that deals not only with these questions, but also takes a look at the desperation that arises when a young woman tries to fight against her dangerous addiction. Smashed is a heartfelt, honest and partially painful film, certainly worth watching, which finally found it’s way onto the German silver screen last week.
Read more after the jump….
by Lia
on May 14th, 2013
in Movies
I kept hearing about this new place Volta in Wedding now for the past few months and was very eager to check it out as it’s only a few blocks up my street. Located near the U8 subway stop Voltastraße it’s conveniently close to Mitte. Even though the super huge district Wedding still hasn’t found the type of Kiez infrastructure that we are all familiar with from Neukölln, Kreuzberg and Mitte, it still is developing quite nicely and offers more and more interesting places spread over its entirety.
The restraurant and bar Volta is the latest addition and quite an impressive one. No wonder, as it’s run by Cookies-chef Stephan Hentschel. The menu is quite diverse and very creative. Most of the dishes have the size of startes, so I recommend ordering at least two to get a taste of the variety. With prices between 5 and 7 EUR I think this is pretty fair, especially considering the great quality, refined look and awesome taste. My favorites are the red beet slices on yoghurt and the entrecôte on sticks. Delicious! The dessert is also quite exceptional, you have to try it! And what made the whole visit even better was the service which was super friendly and charming. This might very well become my new favorite place! Have a look at my impressions and the details after the jump.
by Frank
on May 13th, 2013
in Restaurants, Wedding
