It does not take a lot of imagination to think of Berlin as a giant playground. In times of Pokemon Go and other augmented reality games, the street-running movement and immersive theater experiences, everything – and everybody – seems ready to play.
But I don’t think that the origin of Berlin playfulness is based on technology, fitness or even cultural trends. I remember vividly how years ago I met on a subway ride a young dude that outed himself as a philosophy professor. (The combination of young dude and philosophy professor was a surprise at that time. Nowadays I am not as easily surprised ;-)) He told me that he is part of a creative project called invisible playground. In this project, he told me they tried to research and examine how a daily portion of playfulness can affect your overall happiness.
But invisible playground is not the only creative project celebrating the idea of a playful city. The Berlin-based artist duo 44Flavours have already left their footmark in the local creative scene. Experimenting with all kind of art forms, from murals to posters, and painting to sculpture, the two friends Sebastian Bagge and Julio Rölle, have worked together since they were students. Their success formula is a vibrant combination of teamwork and creative chaos. For the #LiveThere exhibition by Airbnb they created an interactive playground where you can tell your personal Berlin story. There you can listen to murmuring teapots, talk to enchanted mirrors and have fun with all kinds of everyday objects transformed into a creative installation. The idea behind this project is to share different stories about Berlin and to emphasize how with a spark of creative inventiveness and playfulness every trip to Berlin can become a one of a kind experience.
Inspired by that idea, I thought of how we could be more active in experiencing our city as a playful place. I started thinking about the rules and I realized that the games you decide to play on your personal urban playground don’t have to follow any rules or even the norms of standard morality. Between lust and pain is the instinct to play. Therefore I dove deeply into my own imagination and created a set of Berlin-specific mind games. Follow my colorful, funny but sometimes also sensual and dark inspirations to transform your everyday life in Berlin into a crazy game-like experience.
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1.Wake Up Your Inner Child
The first rule of the Neverland called Berlin is to go search for your childish side. Forget your wrinkles, sorrows and insecurities. The speaking mirrors of your daily vanity fair that tell you that you’re not pretty or intelligent or talented enough will crack if you let the games start.
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2. Dress Up as Your Own Avatar
Nobody needs a digital avatar in Berlin to be what they truly want to be. Of course, you can’t get out of your house with a second head on your head, every day. But maybe you should challenge yourself to dress up at least once a month as the playful creature you would love to be.
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3.Invent Your Own Urban Fairytale
Once upon a time there was a book full of magic stories about your favorite city Berlin. This book is written between your daydreams and night dreams and can only turn to life if you let yourself open up to it. But believe me, once you have written down (and here I mean literally write it down) your own fairy tale happening around you, you will actually see how the swans at Paul Linke Ufer are just a transformed Turkish prince or the singer-songwriter on Warschauer Brücke is a chanting siren.
Gif: Alicia Kassebohm
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4. Party and Play – the Disco is Everywhere
Who says partying and dancing are only limited to the four walls of a nightclub? Have fun inventing underground party places in your head or dance with your friends in the silliest places. The neon lights of a supermarket can turn into a giant disco ball if you let your imagination happen.
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5. Food Fight with Friends & Lovers
This game is a partner game. But partners are easily found in Berlin. At least with the right attitude. Try to share every meal of your day and even fight a bit for the best piece of meat or ice cream. We humans are animals in the end, and to challenge each other for food can arouse all kind of appetites.
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6. Hunt the Urban Monster
Berlin has all kinds of monsters and dragons waiting to be hunted. To start with the easiest, why don’t you look for the ugliest buildings in town and fantasize how they could become pretty again. Maybe you won’t revolutionize our urban architecture but for sure you will have some creative sparks while doing so.
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7. Take your Imaginary Bicycle Everywhere You Go
Imaginary friends are so last season. Take your imaginary bicycle with you and you will see how many new friends you will have. And maybe it’s an imaginary tandem bike and ready to take somebody on a ride with you.
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8. Lose Your Orientation in the Concrete Labyrinth
Turn around, change directions, get out at a train stop you have never been before. Think of all the streets with dead ends and all the narrow bridges you pass in such a big city like Berlin. Don’t limit your horizons to the Kiezes you know and the routine walks you take.
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9. Practice Your Retro Super-Hero
Do you know why superheroes have a secret identity? Just because they don’t want anybody to take away their fun while they’re messing around. Think about your favorite secret super ability that only you know how to use. But before you can save the world or your city, you have to practice. Go to a hidden spot and train to fly, to melt things with your eyes or maybe even to become invisible.
Gif: Malte Jäger
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10. The Hardest Opponent Is Yourself
The hardest game but probably the most fun is to challenge yourself and be your own opponent. While playing we usually tend to do things we are good at or we have fun with. But actually sometimes doing games you would not enjoy can be an eye-opening experience. Playing is a matter of instincts, but to learn how to oppose your inner instincts will make you able to step all your mind games on the next level.
Gif: Alicia Kassebohm
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I hope you have had fun with my little set of mind games. If you want to experience the playfulness of Berlin I recommend you to visit the #LiveThere exhibition by Airbnb until Sunday.
This article is a collaboration with the #Livethere Exhibition of Airbnb.