If you thought that the DJ streams of United We Stream, digital drag shows on Twitch, and the Minecraft versions of Berghain and Griesmuehle were the last efforts at bringing Berlin’s nightlife into the virtual space, you should think again. With Rave Space, a cutting-edge project from Berlin, a new virtual club will open its doors this weekend and it’s looking to be quite an impressive experience.
A few weeks ago we had the chance to step into this virtual club already to get a first impression. Of course, with the recent Griesmuehle event inside the Minecraft environment, we expected something rather quirky, but to our surprise, this was quite a different affair.
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by Frank | Pandemic, Party
Completely unrelated to the ongoing pandemic, the beloved Neukölln club Griessmuehle had to close down a year ago for reasons you can read up about here. It was a blow to the nightlife scene of Berlin as it stood for the worrying recent city developments of Berlin and the ongoing club closings we’ve witnessed now for a decade and more. The city is full of night clubs but oddly the popular district of Neukölln doesn’t really have that many, so it was a major loss for the party kids of the neighborhood.
Luckily, the club makers of Griessmuehle could move their outstanding programming to Alte Münze last year and also found a new location in Schöneweide at the Revier Südost. But with the permission for outdoor raves coming relatively late last summer, there was not much raving to happening.
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by Frank | Clubs, Party
Each year, as the temperature drops and the days grow shorter, gloves become increasingly important. Even on my five-minute bike ride to work my knuckles freeze, dry, and crack without the pair I picked up at a flea market in Amsterdam last year (soft suede and obnoxiously leopard print because I can never pass up an opportunity to be as extra as humanly possible). Gloves are functional, beautiful, and provide another layer of the self. They wrap around the human shape but are not constrained by it; I may not be a leopard but with my gloves, my hands are.
If the frigid Berlin weather doesn’t offer enough glove appreciation for you, there is another remedy. NEW DAWN | Tools to Touch in Times Ahead, a virtual-reality gallery experience uses the glove as its focal point. The multi-media display features 33 artists who explore the glove through photography, CGI, animation, graphic design, dance, performance, sound design, and curatorial practices as a “device for enabling holistic experiences in a discursive, material, and visual speculative future.” And to experience it you don’t have to leave the comfort of your screen.
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by Adri | Art
illustration: Virginie Kypriotis.
Berlin’s nightlife has served as inspiration for many art forms. Multiple illustrators have managed to convey the atmosphere of the wild parties that go on for days, among them Virginie Kypriotis with her fantastic visions of Berghain. The new project ENTER THE CLUB has made her work even more enthralling by turning it into a virtual reality experience.
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by Michalina | Art, Party
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In recent years, virtual reality has ceased to be an abstract concept and turned into a more and more accessible technology that is changing our everyday life. One of the big players in the field is Deutsche Telekom. Their Magenta VR app is proof that virtual reality is not only a great tool for entertainment and education, but also it can actually foster human connection.
The visitors at Berlin’s IFA exhibition in September were the first to see Fantaventura – a groundbreaking VR experience featuring the German cult music group, Die Fantastischen Vier. This unique project, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band, gives a brand new life to their popular song “Tag am Meer” and is exclusively available in a 360°-version in the Magenta VR App. From what we saw, the VR experience aesthetically resembles the classic music video for that song, so if you’ve ever enjoyed watching it, now you’ll have the chance to actually step inside it along with the musicians!
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by Michalina | Misc.
I honestly feel a bit guilty for posting yet another thing capitalizing on the fame of Berghain, but on the other hand, I know people are just gonna love it. And I don’t want to be in the way of that fun.
So, Berghain as made its way into the virtual world: Someone recreated it in Minecraft and Mixmag published a walk-through on Facebook yesterday. It’s quite rich in detail which is really impressive. It’s fun to trace your own steps through the infamous club and even walk corners you haven’t been before. My personal highlight is the little bat flying around in the place. Cute.
.Enjoy the experience and visit the empty virtual techno temple in the video below. Spoiler alert: It’s not really the same as going there IRL… 😉 Kudos to whoever created this…
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by Frank | Party, Videos
We love posting pictures dating back to Berlin’s glorious past, like the beginning of the 20th century. You’ve already had the chance to take a glimpse of the past in Schöneberg, Charlottenburg, or Kreuzberg. But as it turns out, digging up such visual treasures is not the only way to get into the spirit of past Berlin. We’ve stumbled upon an incredible virtual reality video in Second Life – take a look at it after the jump!
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by Michalina | Videos
Have you ever wished you could travel back in time and experience different eras in history, that have always fascinated you and you have been constantly watching films or reading books about? Well, this tour will definitely satisfy your wishful thinking. Whereas the usual tours consist of a guide narrating stories about the place you are visiting, a collaboration between When in Berlin Tours and Time Rift Tours offer you the opportunity to experience Berlin and the division of the city through the Berlin Wall with the help of virtual reality tour in an impressive 360° stereoscope experience. History comes at the forefront, as it does not remain in the constraints of memory, but unravels in front of your eyes at an unprecedented pace. We have a little video for you that gives you an impression of the tour and how it works.
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by Nikos | Videos
