TRAVEL DIARY

A weblog regularly updated by Jodi Rose.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

1:39 PM
Posted by jodi rose

I threw myself back into the art fray in the name of brunch...
a quick report - no. 3 had by far the most lavish layout, with bloody mary's to accompany the bagels (jam, salmon or cream cheese), coffee, and bottles of moet chilling, although sadly unopened when I was there. next door, no. 5 was taking the less is more approach to elegant brunching, with fruit, an array of chocolate biscuits and tiny morsels of bread with jam or salmon. They did, however have the best drink, a jug of bellini. A little further down was a plate of pre-made bagels with strangely coloured cheese, then across the road was a sumptuous chocolate cake, and next door to that, by far my favourite, home-made grilled cheese on baguette, with red or orange juice. Satisfying, unpretentious, warm and DIY, a lot like the gallery which has definitely the best atmosphere too.

Oh, you wanted to hear about the art? Really, there's not a lot to tell. I loved the back room at Carson's show - curators without borders - a beautifully simple sound installation with the vibrations making patterns in water, reflected on the roof. That was stunning.

The most interesting by far is 'The New World', at artnews projects. A fabulous mix of art, crime, politics and even a little anarchy - the pedal-powered car being pulled over and booked as an 'unsafe vehicle;' a home built DIY H-bomb, complete with handbag and remote control; the word for Phoenix written in Persian calligraphy, a world map of philosophy, and many more thought-provoking, inspiring and beautiful pieces. Go see it!

I've managed to stay clear of the main event, almost entirely - apart from a slight brush with the visiting collectors hysteria at KW preview last nigh. It's a fascinating piece of theatre, watching the ultra-hip, extremely avant-garde, and constantly broke berlin art world perform for the visiting curators and collectors with cash and influence to burn.

No doubt there will be lives changed and careers made this weekend.

I seem to have lost the momentum of my potentially life-changing moment. Can someone teach me how to just say yes? I'm so tired of this slightly withheld, not quite fully present state of being. I want to dive in completely, to lose myself in the energy of the moment.

Then again, am I being too hard on myself... maybe that's closer to enlightenment than day-to-day life?

I had a wonderful conversation with two women in the last gallery, who turned out to be a dramatic alto and a pianist/musicologist. Helen, the singer was going to look at an apartment, and see if her voice was compatible with the potential house-mate's ears and sensibility. She made a lovely comment that: 'you can hear the soul in the voice'. Wow. I was speechless. That is so beautiful. Of course, I had to ask, 'What can you hear in my voice'. They both considered for a moment, then replied 'Earthy, depth, soft, gentle - ah but there is also metal in your voice'. Ever the smartass, I asked 'from my fillings?' 'No, the sense of power and command necessary for strength - you would be a dramatic soprano if you sang, playing elektra for instance.' Fabulous.

Then, of course, we talked about the voice and soul of bridges, and Raminta told me about the bamboo bridges in Laos that are built for the dry season, and wash away in the wet. Something incredibly beautiful in the transience, the wind in the bamboo, gentle footsteps. Also there is a very important 'bridge ceremony' in their spiritual tradition. And that in Kabuki, when the actor/dancer prepares, they are on a bridge between the theatre and the 'real' world, and the show only starts when they leave the bridge and enter the play. Fantastic.

I had the feeling when I went out this morning that I would meet and talk to exactly the right people, in the right place, at the right time. There you go. Even without the high-powered curators, life is pretty interesting here this weekend.

Now, I'm off to visit Mari and 'help' with her construction of the mud/clay hut for Mega (a mythical place just outside berlin that exists only in one edition of a particular map, and which she has become obsessed with) and then maybe a few more galleries tonight. There's still Kunstlerhaus Bethanien and Heidestrasse to visit, with another potentially crazy after-party tonight. Maybe a disco nap is in order.