Check out this epic image of the Circus Hotel, taken and sent to us by one of our guests Matt Lancashire. Thanks a million Matt for sending it to us. It is a brilliant shot…
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(above: Tamara Fleming,”Tantric Holding Against Racism”)
In the past week we have added some new artworks to some of the new apartments, courtesy of the good folks at Rotebete. Here is what they say they do:
“Scouring the gritty streets of the metropolis, from the derelict studios to the broken down ateliers, we unearth Berlin’s the deep underbelly of contemporary art. We choose our favourite places: the most loved cafes, esteemed bars, design apartments, secret gems; then set up exhibitions. For us, in the end, what counts is that you face it, uninvited: you will stumble across art in your life, not in a gallery, not in a show, just right here, now, where you’ve always been. The best works though, quickly find their way into homes all over the world. They won’t come back, they have serious lovers.”
You can find out more information about Rotebete either on their website, or on the Facebook page, where you can also find more examples from the artists that they work with, links to other exhibitions and more.
Here are some more images from the Rotebete collection at the Circus Apartments:
(above: B. Dempsey, “Mrs. Innes Hangs her sheets in the frost to whiten”)
(above: SA Custance, “Hear No Speak No See No”)
(above: Paulo Ayres, “Fantastic voyage”, ”The fabric of Non-Purpose hearts”)
Now, every so often strange things happen at the Circus Hostel, and recently we received an email from a random address from a man claiming to be a former guest of ours who had attached some pictures of the old military base in the Potsdam suburb of Krampnitz. Actually, we have to take his word for it that he is an old guest – we don’t actually know his name – but for the purposes of this post we shall call him Bob.
Bob, it would appear, is something of an adventurer. He headed to Krampnitz where, between 1937 and 1939, the German Wehrmacht built a cavalry training school that was designed by a man named Kisch. Now Kisch, for whatever reason, decided to give the base something of a village feel, with a central tower, officers’ mess, accommodation for the soldiers and a parade ground and so on.
By the time it was finished Germany was at war, and the base was converted to become a training area for mechanized troops. After the war the Soviets took it over and there they stayed, from 27th April 1945 until their withdrawal in 1992. Ever since it has been basically abandoned, and although signs on the locked gate forbid entry, Bob found a hole in the fence and went to have a look around.
We definitely do not condone such behavior, as it is not only forbidden but also potentially dangerous, but we found the pictures interesting enough to share with you on this blog. So thanks to Bob, whoever he is and wherever he may be.
The next great event from our friends at the Berlin Film Society:
The Spring Edition of the Future Shorts Film Festival will premiere in Berlin on Saturday 3rd March 2012! The Berlin Film Society will host the launch event at .HBC – Berlin’s best-kept secret: an ex-Soviet venue just opposite the TV tower at Alexanderplatz.
The line-up is an exciting mix of both critically-acclaimed and completely new shorts from an eclectic selection of international film makers, including the likes of Sam Taylor-Wood and Spike Jonze.
The screening will be followed by an after party, featuring live music and DJs, at .HBC.
Tickets
€10 GIDSY (Only 50 advanced tickets available on GIDSY – released 21.02.12)
€10 ON THE DOOR
€8 Berlin Film Society Members (includes BFS Members Reserved Priority Seating)
BERLIN FILM SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP
6-month membership: Introductory Price Only €20! [normally €30]
- Discounted screenings & events
- Reserved member’s seating
- Invitation to members-only previews & events
Sign up for membership here: http://goo.gl/kUCPa
SPRING 2012 PROGRAMME:
‘BEAR’
Dir: Nash Edgerton
Australia – 2011
‘QUADRANGLE’
Dir: Amy Grappell
United States – 2010
‘LOVE YOU MORE’
Dir: Sam Taylor Wood
United Kingdom – 2007
‘MOURIR AUPRÈS DE TOI’ (TO DIE BY YOUR SIDE)
Dir: Spike Jonze & Simon Cahn
France – 2011
‘L’HOMME SANS TETE’ (THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD)
Dir: Juan Solanas
France – 2003
‘VENUS’
Dir: Tor Fruergaard
Denmark – 2012
Event details at a glance:
Where: .HBC
When: Saturday 3rd March
What time: 9pm
Address: Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 9, 10178 Berlin
For more information, check out the event facebook page.
We found this wonderful collection of photographs from back in the German Democratic Republic via the Kraftfuttermischwerk blog. We reproduce a couple here, but you should really head over to the flickr page of sludgegulper to take in the whole collection. Be warned though, you might be there some time. Absolutely fascinating.
There are some new residents in the stairwell of the apartment building. As part of her overall design for the space, Julia has been spray-painting some lovely birds to brighten up the corridors. When we were there to take pictures yesterday there were only one or two new arrivals, but soon there will be an entire flock. Very cheerful indeed!
Is this the final gasp of winter? Will it all be gone by this evening? From my desk i can see the snow is already melting and dripping from the branches of the trees outside the window. So the snow may be short lived, but at least it gave Felix something to do this morning, and get him out from behind his desk:
As you might now, we had a transport strike on Saturday which meant there were no buses, trams or U-Bahns running. Now, as Berliners dusted off their bicycles or rediscovered the joy of walking around the city, this was not really an option for those Circus guests arriving or leaving the city via Tegel Airport. What to do? Enter Tilman, one of the owners of the Circus, and his trusty ride. Tilman ran his DIY shuttle service between Rosenthaler Platz and Tegel to make sure everyone got their flights or arrived with us safely and securely, and the only thing that was missing was his chauffeur’s hat.
Nice job Tilman!
