Just opposite the railroad tracks of the far out S-Bahn station Schönholz, obviously visible to its passers-by, though half disappearing into a thin, sparse forrest – the newly discovered 80 remaining meters of the original Berlin Wall.
Just when we thought, now slowly, after 28 years and 3 months after the Mauerfall, there is nothing new to be said about the German division and its physical leftovers. But a few days ago we found out that – flipping hell – colorful remains of the historical first version wall, that physically and ideologically divided Berlin, were identified and unveiled as such only this February. We had to see this with our own eyes and made a little excursion there last weekend.
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by Franziska | Stories
photos: 18/7001 Festival
Berliners’ undying affection for techno comes on a par with a fondness for tangible memories of the GDR past. The creators of 18/7001 Festival (happening on 17th, 18th, and 19th August 2018) merged the two into an event that will undoubtedly become the rave highlight of your summer. Read on…
by Michalina | Events, Music
The Berlin photographer Dietmar Eckell has set himself the task to discover abandoned places all around the world. Places that might be long forgotten but each of them has a unique story to tell. In his photo book “Restwert” he showcases these lost places and stories that we could rarely discover on our own. Cuba, Vietnam, Ukraine, very remote travel locations were on his list for 2017. But, he has also spent some time in his hometown Berlin, to capture a few more of it’s forgotten sites.
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by Andy | Art, Photos
One year after the burning down of the Blub, the coolest water park Berlin ever had that was shut down in 2005, this cute music video, “The Ballad of Shelley and Hamza”, is bound to bring back memories both to those who used to have fun at the water slides in the 80s and 90s, as well as to us who visited it when it was already abandoned. “The Ballad of Shelley and Hamza” tells the story of two people, who, on their way to find themselves, they found each other; It is an entirely imagined, unconventional cross-continental love song about 2 friends from university, performed by James McBreen and recorded on a boat on the River Spree. In the music video, the two performers dance all over the abandoned place and through their moves they bring it back to life. Coincidentally, it was filmed only 2 weeks before Blub was burnt down last July. It’s a collaborative project between Overland Originals and Kopper Kollektiv, both Berlin-based creative production companies. The dancers, Berlin-based Samuel Olatidoye from Italy and Natalie Deryn Johnson from New York, met only 10 minutes before they started filming, James told us, but looks like they managed to find their common rhythm pretty fast.
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by Stella | Music, Videos
Berlin is for the art lovers: its vast art community gives both locals and visitors the opportunity to feed their creative side with new events, going on almost everyday. Trying hard to keep up with all that’s going on in the city, we stumbled upon an exhibition that stood out, and couldn’t wait to tell you all about it: its name (seductive itself), Labyrinth of Lies.
400 (!) umbrellas are installed in an old industrial site, forming an actual labyrinth, through which the visitor is invited to walk through and explore multi dimensional pieces of art that had us go “wow!”. The maze’s creators are the London-based Connor brothers, in collaboration with Berlin artist Sven Sauer, brought together under the “umbrella” of the Plus One exhibition series. It’s truly remarkable how the artists try (and succeed) to have us, even for a second, question conventional rules of space — It’s not to be missed!
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by Stella | Art
Today I stumbled across a cool breakdance video that was shot in an abandoned place in the outskirts of Berlin. I’m not 100% sure which place it is, but my guess is Beelitz Asylum. I do recognize the artist though, it’s Plotbot who has such a distinct style. You can actually find his amazing artwork in quite a few of the abandoned places of Berlin.
But coming back to the video, it shows a dreadlocked dancer performing a blend of contemporary and breakdance in the staircase of this old sanatorium accompanied by a pretty cool beat. I like how his style, the dance, the place and the music come together here quite nicely. And it helps that his outfit kinda flies off at some point, hehe. But have a look for yourself and let me know if you recognize the place…
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by Frank | Videos
When you visit one of the many abandoned places of Berlin you will most likely find traces of previous visits, or even habitation there. Squatters, ravers, sprayers, vandals, urban explorers. They all left their marks on these forgotten buildings of Berlin and contribute to the decay of what these places once were. If you’re lucky you might even find some traces of creativity there.
When I first stepped into the abandoned railroad yard in Pankow last summer I was amazed by the spectacular light inside the circular building that came in through the panoramic windows in the ceiling. The place itself was completely empty and pretty much devastated by vandalism. But within all the debris and decay I found golden confetti and feathers on the floor like a little glimmer of hope and joy. It looked like someone had a good time there not too long ago. Maybe a small party, or an euphoric photo shoot. Either way it was another trace of life in an otherwise dead place.
When I stumbled about the contemporary dance video titled “Ephemeral Rooms” by Ruben Reniers and Nora Vladiguerov that was shot in this location earlier this year I was reminded of my visit. Just like whoever left the golden confetti the two choreographers and dancers breathed some life into this abandoned place with their beautiful performance.
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by Frank | Videos
For the fans of American Horror Story this makes a great setting for the unraveling of gruesome and spooky plotlines. The ferris wheel used to be part of the Spreepark, a theme park in Treptow Köpenick that opened in 1969 as Kulturpark Plänterwald. Unfortunately, a lack of ample parking space and a rise in the price of the ticket led to the closing of the park on the onset of the current century. What followed was an unbelievable series of stories about the park and its owner that far exceeds the notoriousness of most other abandoned places in Berlin. The following spectacular drone video made by a Swedish drone flyer and urban explorer showcases the park, as it is now; abandoned and forgotten with the ferris wheel moving slowly in the wind as if ghosts keep it company to make it forget its eternal loneliness. Read on…
by Nikos | Videos
You might have heard the news recently: After its closing last year the beloved Stattbad Wedding is currently being demolished and will soon have disappeared entirely. For the last couple of years if was filled with a lot of subcultural and nightlife projects including artists studios and workshops, offices for start-ups, a nightclub and bar, a space for concerts, exhibitions, screenings and dinner and whatever other project you can imagine inside the 4 tiled walls of a giant empty swimming pool. From my perspective its exactly these types of projects that use an abandoned relic of the past as a grow house for new progressive and alternative creativity that make Berlin what it is today. A hub for creative minds and alternative approaches from all over the world. It’s more than sad that places like Stattbad Wedding are not appreciated or supported by city officials and I’m worried that this will be harmful to the uniqueness of the city in the long run.
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by Frank | Wedding
Last year we already introduced you to the work of Berlin-based photographer Yuto Yamada who captures abandoned places of the city for his ongoing series “Berlin Raw“. This year he is back with new photos of Berlins forgotten, dirty corners, but for his new exhibition he juxtaposes them with the futuristic and glossy Tokyo full of illuminated billboards and neons. The two very contradicting perspectives of two very different cities is a strong contrast but also something very personal to the artist as both cities represent a part of his life, the past and the present, even though aesthetically you could think it’s about the future and the past. Enjoy a preview of these fascinating places in Berlin and Tokyo below.
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by Frank | Art
