Shaping our City: Nicolas Defawe from Urban Spree

Shaping our City: Nicolas Defawe from Urban Spree

Nicolas Defawe

After our interviews with Berlin city shapers PANSY from Yo! Sissy Festival and Yasha Young from Urban Nation we are coming to the third and final part of our interview series that is inspired by Heineken’s Shape Your City campaign. While the winners of The Cities Project are already working to make their bar concept a reality in the beautiful city of Cologne, we had a chat here in Berlin with our latest interview partner Nicolas Defawe. If his name doesn’t ring a bell for you, you might know some of the amazing spaces that he was and is involved in such as the awesome, but sadly closed HBC, the short-lived +-0 in the old Postbahnhof building, and the Urban Spree gallery at the RAW area.

Nico is one of the people in the alternative cultural scene of Berlin that we have collaborated with a lot over the years with many of the events we did with iHeartBerlin and its sister project Designer Scouts. It was always such a pleasure to work with him because he has such a positive and supportive spirit and he is the type of guy that you can easily go and steal horses with (this is a funny expression we like to use in German that means that someone is game with just about anything). In our interview with him and his Urban Spree partner Pascal Feucher we revisited some of the old places and looked into the future for the current one…

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A David Lynch Inspired Halloween

A David Lynch Inspired Halloween

The Berlin Film Society is giving us a fabulous David Lynch inspired Halloween special this Friday. They will screen the directorial debut of the master of the obscure: Eraserhead from 1977. The event will happen in the the former Czech Cultural Institute at Leipziger Str. 60 (entrance Jerusalemer Str.) where we also hosted our 7 Year events. After the screening at 23h there will be a haunted house party with lots of references to David Lynch so all Lynch-inspired Halloween outfits from the guests are to be expected. You can still get advanced tickets for the event, check out the Facebook event for details.

For more Halloween events and parties please check out Halloween Guide here on the blog and our Halloween special on the Friendly Berlin app. After the jump a trailer of the movie Eraserhead.

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The Weekly Event & Party Guide

The Weekly Event & Party Guide

+-0

This week we have two very special events taking place on the weekend (sadly almost at the same time). Firstly, it’s the opening of the new awesome space +-0 which is run by the guys who used to make the HBC for many years. I was in their at the inofficial preview and it’s quite stunning. iHeartBerlin is gonna be part of the Human Zoo performance with a special GIF installation taking place down in the basement at the after party. Secondly, one of our most beloved fellow bloggers Jessie is returning into the online world with her new awesome website Journelles and celebrating the launch at Picknick. This and many more events

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Fashion for Charity – The SKYY VODKA SWAP MARKET

Fashion for Charity – The SKYY VODKA SWAP MARKET

photos: Nils Krüger

On August 24th it’s time for another SKYY VODKA SWAP MARKET. The big fashion event is now already in its fourth year and once again vintage and fashion lovers will go crazy swapping their vintage pearls and also getting their hands on some brand new designer clothes. And all this for a good cause, as all the proceeds of the event will be donated to the charity organization Berliner Aids-Hilfe e.V., so this time you don’t have to feel guilty for having another drink.

From August 9th till 23rd you will be able to submit your own high quality vintage clothes, design objects, accessories, books and records to the SKYY SWAP SPOT in exchange for a swap voucher. At the SKYY VODKA SWAP MARKET on August 24th at Café Moskau you will receive tokens for your voucher. Those you can use to “buy” other vintage clothes, brand new designer pieces, cocktails or to donate. If you don’t have enough tokens or if you didn’t submit anything, you can also buy them for real money. Remember, all proceeds will be donated, so be generous! After the swapping there will be a big party that is not to be missed! The details and impressions from the previous SKYY VODKA SWAP MARKET after the jump.

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The Weekly Event Guide

The Weekly Event Guide

Hipster Olympiade, photo by Katrin Köbbert

This week everything seems to be back to normal in our weekly event guide. The summer is playing a nasty game with us, but what choice do we have other then making the best of it and hoping for some sunshine and less rain. Some highlights of this week are the concert of Hush Hush at the new club Chalet by the former Bar25 owners. The first Kiez Opera at Salon Zur Wilden Renate and the second Hipster Olympiade taking the crap out of some typical clichées about Berlin Hipsters. Have a look at our event recommendations after the jump.

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The Weekly Event Guide

The Weekly Event Guide

Chalet

After such a busy week such as the last one I actually feel like not doing anything for the next 7 days. But of course leaving you without my weekly list of event  recommendations would not be fair. As I have so many photo sets still to prepare for the next days I will have to keep myself short this week.

On Tuesday bloggette and DJane Oh-Sophia is hosting a special (free) dinner at Merkezi. Salon der Alchemisten is a new party with live music taking place this Wednesday at Chalet, the new club inside former Heinz Minki that is now owned by the former Bar25 owners. On Thursday the HBC opens the big group exhibition Do It Again. Also, Stevie Hanley is having a book launch with an exhibition and live concert by Alexander Geist. On Friday the LEAP is opening their 4th edition of performance night Body Controlled. If you didn’t dare to take your crazy outfit out for fashion week, then maybe do it at the Blitz party. On Saturday London-based queer party Gutterslut is coming back to Berlin to haunt the Sisyphos with their big trannies.

This week is also the best time to visit the design schools here in Berlin, as they are all having an open house where they present the work of their students. UdK is open from Thursday to Sunday. The HTW is having their Werkschau from Friday to Saturday. And the Weißensee School is celebrating the opening of their exhibition of students work on Friday evening. The exhibition will continue until July 29th. Read on…

The Weekly Event Guide

The Weekly Event Guide

Nelson Can, photo: Tam Vibberstoft

This week we are getting a little appetizer of Fashion Week with multiple events by the ESMOS design school. Also, you’ll see writers in a death match, you can celebrate the Midsommar (or the Fête de la Musique), have a look at the New Order exhibition or go into a war with your cardboard sword. Our events recommendations after the jump.

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The Weekly Event Guide

The Weekly Event Guide

The Light

This week brings us of course many new exciting football games, but also some great concerts from Berlin-based bands, a graduates fashion show, some burlesque action, a Berlin-centric illustration exhibition and much more. These and more events after the jump.

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The Weekly Event Guide

The Weekly Event Guide

Marina And The Diamonds

This week has a series of great concerts (most of them as part of the Melt Club Weekender) including Austra, Marina And The Diamonds and T.E.E.D., a queer Prom party, a French-Polish dinner and another Blind Date Swingers Club. These and more events after the jump.

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The Weekly Event Guide

The Weekly Event Guide

photo: Fumi Nagasaka

This week is dominated by awesome live music by New Look, Hush Hush, Super700 and more. We also have some fashion sales and events and a new dance/theatre play by Dorkypark. These and more events after the jump.

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