Hip hop's not dead
LA's tyler the creator
Brooklyn's Theophilus London:
Lunapark Berlin @ Spreepark
So many people are asking me how's it going with work and what it is exactly that I'm doing here these days. I will try to answer.
The main thing that Showcase is working on at the moment is the construction of a 6-8 meter high man that will be build gradually during three days by themselves and volunteers and then burned down on the end of the third day.
As part of this internship here, the HAU curator Stefanie Wenner introduced me to the Showcase guys and they suggested I go to one of the guided tours given in the place (it's the only way to legally get in there now) and see if I have any ideas to do something there. Below are some of the pix I took on that tour. So we went there - I'm not switching to the royal plural, nor I'm referring to the voices in my head, it's the good old annoying couple talk again - and came up with many ideas, most of which were of course way too expensive or dangerous; for example, to create a bumping cars ride with electric wheel chairs - this has to happen at some point!
So what we're left with are three main things, that we are now working on trying to see what it takes to get them to happen properly:
the Catastrophe Clock
The Catastrophe Clock is a sound installation Maya and me made, which was first presented at an outdoor exhibition in Holon's Center for Digital Art in 2007. It's actually very simple: once an hour, exactly on the hour, a soundsystem plays a recording of screaming people, when the number of the screams heard tells the time: at one o'clock one scream, at two two screams etc. When we did it it was quite cool because it gives a very basic service to the people around and at the same time disturbs them in a funny way. In the context of the luna park it can be even more relevant, as this is actually something that happens quite often when you attend an operating Luna park; these screams that appear every now and then from a scary attraction somewhere, so it can not only tell the time but also function as a little "ghosty" action, maybe reminding the audience how this place sounded like. The speakers will be located on one of the beautiful dis-functioning roller coasters (see pix below). That is, if the budget and limited technical options will allow us to do it...
a Silent Disco Party
The guys from showcase want to have a "silent disco", a party where people dance with personal headphones. It's gonna happen inside a tunnel in one of the old rides, but unlike the classic version of this event, the music will be Schubi and me DJing. Each person at audience will be able to switch between our two channels: heavy beats, hip hop classics and filthy pop (moi), or white trash, 80's rock, disco and filthy pop (the Schub). This wasn't our idea but a task we got from them and accepted happily. If everything will happen according to plan and Maya will make it here for the Lunapark, we'll also get a third channel for her, which for sure will be great.
Telekinesis courses
Those who know me well knows I'm very interested in supernatural shit like seances, Parapshychology, and other phenomena of similar problematic nature. When I was in the tour in the Spreepark I remembered a work by my friend and great artist Sofia Hulten, which made couple of videos where she's trying to move objects using Telekinesis techniques she learned from a tutorial book. Here you can see a still from one of these videos. Developing the idea further, Schubi and me decided to do Telekienises courses to the public at the Lunapark. We will explain Telekinesis, it's history and techniques, and then with the people we will form a "concentration camp" - a place in the park where people assemble to concentrate together - and try to make the big ferris wheel move using nothing but our minds. Considering the fact that the wheel tends to move when it's windy, I think this activity will be super nice.
the 1st Berlin Mud-Wrestling Championship
Last but not least, and continuing the line of creating opportunities for people to use the place and enjoy it, we are going to announce at the last day of the Lunapark happening the first Berlin Mud Wrestling championship, where friends, family, lovers or just strangers can get in the arena and feed each other mud! Here are some wonderful examples:
And here are some pix I took in the tour:
So what we're left with are three main things, that we are now working on trying to see what it takes to get them to happen properly:
the Catastrophe Clock
The Catastrophe Clock is a sound installation Maya and me made, which was first presented at an outdoor exhibition in Holon's Center for Digital Art in 2007. It's actually very simple: once an hour, exactly on the hour, a soundsystem plays a recording of screaming people, when the number of the screams heard tells the time: at one o'clock one scream, at two two screams etc. When we did it it was quite cool because it gives a very basic service to the people around and at the same time disturbs them in a funny way. In the context of the luna park it can be even more relevant, as this is actually something that happens quite often when you attend an operating Luna park; these screams that appear every now and then from a scary attraction somewhere, so it can not only tell the time but also function as a little "ghosty" action, maybe reminding the audience how this place sounded like. The speakers will be located on one of the beautiful dis-functioning roller coasters (see pix below). That is, if the budget and limited technical options will allow us to do it...
a Silent Disco Party
The guys from showcase want to have a "silent disco", a party where people dance with personal headphones. It's gonna happen inside a tunnel in one of the old rides, but unlike the classic version of this event, the music will be Schubi and me DJing. Each person at audience will be able to switch between our two channels: heavy beats, hip hop classics and filthy pop (moi), or white trash, 80's rock, disco and filthy pop (the Schub). This wasn't our idea but a task we got from them and accepted happily. If everything will happen according to plan and Maya will make it here for the Lunapark, we'll also get a third channel for her, which for sure will be great.
Telekinesis courses
Those who know me well knows I'm very interested in supernatural shit like seances, Parapshychology, and other phenomena of similar problematic nature. When I was in the tour in the Spreepark I remembered a work by my friend and great artist Sofia Hulten, which made couple of videos where she's trying to move objects using Telekinesis techniques she learned from a tutorial book. Here you can see a still from one of these videos. Developing the idea further, Schubi and me decided to do Telekienises courses to the public at the Lunapark. We will explain Telekinesis, it's history and techniques, and then with the people we will form a "concentration camp" - a place in the park where people assemble to concentrate together - and try to make the big ferris wheel move using nothing but our minds. Considering the fact that the wheel tends to move when it's windy, I think this activity will be super nice.
the 1st Berlin Mud-Wrestling Championship
Last but not least, and continuing the line of creating opportunities for people to use the place and enjoy it, we are going to announce at the last day of the Lunapark happening the first Berlin Mud Wrestling championship, where friends, family, lovers or just strangers can get in the arena and feed each other mud! Here are some wonderful examples:
And here are some pix I took in the tour:
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| the fabulous ferris wheel |
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| a lost dinosaur, there's quite a few of them wondering around the park |
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| rusty cart in one of the dried water rides |
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| the elephant is drowning and the swans do nothing to help |
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| the Schub (right, big head in fur hat) looking at the wheel |
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| kitsch, but the wheel is so photogenic! |
Hello from Tel Aviv
Arale just sent me this pic he took in the "Tikva" neighborhood in Tel Aviv, where most of the struggle against migrant workers takes place. It's one of the hot issues in Israel these days, as is it shelter to many immigrants and refugees from war zones in Africa. Recently, groups of Israelis started protesting around the country, calling to deport the foreigners. Alongside some official, state-paid Rabbis that not so long ago distributed a "psak halacha" (kind of a Jewish religious law) encouraging people not to rent or sell their houses to non-jews, and a series of incredibly-racist-nearly-fascist laws legislated by the government, it looks bad.
The graffiti in the pic reads "deport niggers"
The graffiti in the pic reads "deport niggers"
Possum Trot - the life and work of Calvin Black
A short clip from an amazing documentary made by Irving Saraf and Allie Light, about the incredible Calvin Black. I first saw his amazing creepy dolls at London's Museum of everything, and later on found the entire film online. Now it's gone but this trailer alone is still wonderful. Something Yotam Feldman posted today on Buzz reminded me of this.
What's Opera Doc
In one of Bruce Labruce's rehearsals this February, the diva surprised us with this beautiful reference:
The wabit is sehr cool
The wabit is sehr cool
Is it too late to get a Bat Mitzvah?
Thank you Iris, for sending this and making my life so much richer.
For those who don't speak Hebrew - I'm deeply sorry it's very hard to translate
For those who don't speak Hebrew - I'm deeply sorry it's very hard to translate
images make sense
Three examples from recent years of music videos that put together beautiful systems of building visual narratives.
"Heaven can wait" By Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck, directed by Keith Schofield
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait from Charlotte Gainsbourg on Vimeo.
"Bombay" by El Guincho, directed by Nicolás Méndez
EL GUINCHO | Bombay from MGdM | Marc Gómez del Moral on Vimeo.
"Heathen Child" by Grinderman, directed by John Hillcoat. This one is slightly different than the other two, as the images in it correspond to the lyrics, but I think it's merely inspiration and the logic of the video is still strictly visual.
Grinderman 'Heathen Child' - Director: John Hillcoat from Tom Lindsay on Vimeo.
"Heaven can wait" By Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck, directed by Keith Schofield
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait from Charlotte Gainsbourg on Vimeo.
"Bombay" by El Guincho, directed by Nicolás Méndez
EL GUINCHO | Bombay from MGdM | Marc Gómez del Moral on Vimeo.
"Heathen Child" by Grinderman, directed by John Hillcoat. This one is slightly different than the other two, as the images in it correspond to the lyrics, but I think it's merely inspiration and the logic of the video is still strictly visual.
Grinderman 'Heathen Child' - Director: John Hillcoat from Tom Lindsay on Vimeo.
Mark Ronson + Boy George =
the lovely Ida reminded me of this video today. There's apparently nothing too special about it but somehow I really like it. Something about the combination of the VHS and the "Girl George" seems to work. Also the fact that this straight Ronson is truly gay friendly is very cool.
Mark Ronson ft. Boy George 'Somebody To Love Me' - Director: Saam Farahmand from Tom Lindsay on Vimeo.
Mark Ronson ft. Boy George 'Somebody To Love Me' - Director: Saam Farahmand from Tom Lindsay on Vimeo.
Tableaux Vivants
Sometimes you find the most wonderful things on Youtube without looking for anything.
The Lars is back
Dardas just sent me this trailer for the new von Trier movie, featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kirsten Dunst. This man is seriously fucked up
Melancholia from Zentropa on Vimeo.
Melancholia from Zentropa on Vimeo.
5000 fingers
Thanx susi for mentioning this film.
It's a very weird looking thing based on Dr. Seuss, in Technicolor!
It's a very weird looking thing based on Dr. Seuss, in Technicolor!
Wasrzawa Diary
Here's (some of) the story in pictures:
The city is kind of a disneyland, trashed completely by the Nazis and then reconstructed to look exactly the same. Walking the street where our hotel was really felt like strolling in a film set. In general, the whole experience was a funny mixture of fiction and "reality".
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| We love the pope |
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| Our hotel, where the sauna is steaming and the breakfast warms your heart. Yes it is good to be Jewish |
Some pix from the set:
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| The Schub in uniform |
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| Nadia Borboletta Volkov Dunietz |
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| Yael |
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| Giori & Hadar |
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| Sofitel - probably the most beautiful building in Warsaw |
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| Anat is interested |
The Tomb of the unknown soldier, dedicated to Polish soldiers that died in WW1. Next to the eternal flame there is a 24/7 honor guard of two soldiers:
One of the days we were filming in the Palace of Culture, Stalin's imposed gift to the people of Warsaw and one of the most shameless buildings I've ever seen. It wasn't, however, merely the impossible size or the weird, gotham-city-sque appearance of it that was so appealing (huge Batman fan here); The crazy theater inside was just unbelievable. Huge stage with a beautiful grey curtains, ridiculous ceiling, and the best feature by far: every one of the thousands seats in the house has it's own personal mono speaker! You gotta love those fucked up dictators
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| A speaker for every worker! |
With a little help from my friends
Many friends sent greetings for the newly blog, some even sent their own contributions:
from Anat:
from Yos:
Danke ladies
from Anat:
from Yos:
Danke ladies
Impressions from a movement (and a movie) in the making
My house is blurred on Google maps!
That's quite cool.
Tomorrow going to Warsaw for few days, to visit Yael Bartana on the set of her new video. Gonna be funny, a lot of people are coming and everyone's staying in some 5-star hotel. As we're gonna be extras in the crowd, I imagine it'll be for us a kind of a honeymoon.
It's so funny/weird/perverse that I started talking in plural so naturally. I accept this in unexpected calmness so far.
Anyway, here's the Schubi. It's his fault.
Tomorrow going to Warsaw for few days, to visit Yael Bartana on the set of her new video. Gonna be funny, a lot of people are coming and everyone's staying in some 5-star hotel. As we're gonna be extras in the crowd, I imagine it'll be for us a kind of a honeymoon.
It's so funny/weird/perverse that I started talking in plural so naturally. I accept this in unexpected calmness so far.
Anyway, here's the Schubi. It's his fault.
Two addictive vids for the weekend
I love both of them, and somehow I find them related to each other. Then again maybe it's just me
Shit Robot - Take Em Up from Eoghan Kidney on Vimeo.
Shit Robot - Take Em Up from Eoghan Kidney on Vimeo.
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