International travel videographer Alex Soloviev has already blessed us with his two stunning Berlin travel videos The Inner Layer and Everyday Berlin. Now, on the quite sad occasion of the fire at Notre-Dame, he released a beautiful tribute video of the French Icon that he shot on the roof of the famous church – a place that is probably not going to be accessible for years to come. From here you see those parts of the church that were probably the most destroyed by the devastating fire earlier this week.
As shocking as the fire and its damages to the beloved building were – it’s a relieve to know that it was not completely lost and can be rebuilt again. In Berlin, most of our major sights were also quite heavily destroyed by fires at some point in the past – for buildings this old it’s just always gonna be a part of their history.
Read on…
by Frank | Travel, Videos
I guess everyone has a few very personal routines in their daily life, that they are very particular about. Little details that just spark a little bit of happiness. May it be the joy of using the same colorful little teacup every morning, wearing your favorite shoes to work or listening to the right song while sitting on your favorite spot by the door. I personally am very particular where I go to enjoy my coffee. Mostly before work or at lunch. The place has to be friendly, cozy, unpretentious and yet unique – topped by a tasty cappuccino!
The other day I was walking on Hermanstraße when I discovered a beautiful brick stone building, that had a sign next to it saying “21 Gramm”. It pointed toward a cozy courtyard, away from the busy street. Following that sign, little did I know that I was about to discover the most unusual café on Hermannstraße. Pushing the curtains at the entrance aside, you unexpectedly uncover a spacious room, with beautiful high ceilings and large columns that are connected by graceful bows. This unusual space has got all the atmosphere you could possibly wish for in a café. I knew immediately: This was the place I would sit down and enjoy my coffee!
Read on…
by Franziska | Cafés, Neukölln
photo: Leo Seidel
Many years ago I encountered Chiharu Shiota’s work in Berlin and fell in love with her world of black wool threads. Today I am really happy that the Berlin-based artist – even after her international success – is still exhibiting new works here in town regularly.
Inside the rather traditional St. Nicholas church museum located in the Nikoleiviertel where you would never expect to encounter her newest eye-gasmic art piece. To the occasion of the 500-year anniversary of the Reformation, Chiharu Shiota has created a spatial installation titled Lost Words transforming the whole church into a spider web of thoughts. The pages captured by her thread are the Ten Commandments in several languages. This relates to the Reformation in the sense that before that, the Bible was only read and taught in Latin which made religion only discussable and understandable for the rich and wealthy.
Even if you are not a religious type, Shiota’s work shows you the power of the written word. It shows how a simple idea, the idea of the translation of a sacred text, can have a lasting impact on the whole world as we know it. The address, more pictures, and a video of the making of the art piece after the jump.
Read on…
by Claudio | Art, Mitte
This city is just full of surprises: To a newcomer here, a lot of Berlin’s ways might even come as a bit of a shock, until one gets used to it. Among these shocking things, is seeing spaces with a very particular context, such as churches, not serving solely their religious purpose as gathering points of worship, but instead being used for other cultural activities: exhibition spaces, concert stages, theatre stages. For most other parts of the world that’d be unthought of: but Berlin is just like no other city, haven’t we established that already? In terms of, well, everything; and churches confirm it.
Spaces so holy, designed to create awe and devoutness, connected with faith or death, both parts of life that are hard for us to conceive, find other, secular uses, and thus step off their high place somewhere closer to us. That’s got a lot to do with the city’s tendency of giving a new life to things old and abandoned: from the secondhand scene being so strong here, people reuse every chance they get, to abandoned places that often become art spaces, to churches and crematoria being reused, having a new life, and gain new meaning. A collection of such spaces, that caught our eye somehow, either with their design, or with the whole new use, we are about to present to you 🙂
Read on…
by Stella | Art, Stories
Last Friday the Berlin Film Society screened the cult movie La Dolce Vita by Fellini in the Zwingli church in Friedrichshain. The event was spiced up with a jazz concert, fingerfood, lots of drinks and a special fashion performance by Megg Morales styled by Yeorg Kronnagel for the Berlin-based accessory label Moga E Mago. Some impressions of the unique night after the jump.
Read on…
by Frank | Fashion, Movies, Photos
Moga E Mago, photo: Madame Peripetie
On Friday a very special event takes place at the old Zwingli church in Friedrichshain. Berlin Film Society is hosting a screening of Fellini’s cult classic La Dolce Vita with a vary interesting introductory program. Swedish film director Emilio El-Lauren is hosting a fashion show by excentric accessory label Moga E Mago, that iHeartBerlin readers should be well aware of as we did quite a few events with them in the past here in Berlin. More amazing photos of their last collection after the jump. Also there is going to be fingerfood and drinks, as well as a jazz music performance by …e la luna? And all that in the amazin ambience of an old church – you should definately come here. Win 2×2 tickets for the event after the jump.
Read on…
by Frank | Fashion, Movies
