A film on either Prime or Netflix is agreed on. I cook. We watch the film in the late afternoon and then we eat.
This might be the first dessert. Despite the icecream component this, to me, is definitely a winter dessert. Now I just need to find a main course which is not too heavy or rich.
LAST UPDATED 14 November PM.
I signed up for this photography course which turned out to be a mistake. Partly because, as it turned out, it is more about paper and cutting and pasting and glue than about photography. Now, I don’t use the word hate lightly, but here it is: I hate paper and cutting and pasting and glue, for any other purpose than purely practical. And collages. They are too messy. And partly because I don’t have a creative, let alone artistic streak in me, and during the first class it became clear that those are required (although it is still not quite clear to me, what is expected of us, which is perhaps just another proof that I am out of my depth in this class).
However, I have always liked surrealist painting and sculpture and will try to dive into surrealist photography during the coming weeks. I did visit the Max Ernst exhibition in the photography museum, but came out totally uninspired, so he will not be on my list of favourite surrealist photographers :-).
Whether this post will turn out to be suitable for presentation in the class is doubtful, though.
Talking about collages, this, from 20222, is the closest I will ever get to making one:
Incidentally, going by some of the synonyms offered by the various dictionaries – “strange”, “dreamlike” – the above is from what I can safely say was the most surreal time of my life (described elsewhere on this site). Even surpassing the first Covid19 lockdown, AND 5 November 2024…..
I guess I have always found life, and the world, surreal (and not in a good way), and now more than ever. We are living surrealism, and humans – the most disagreeable species on earth – constitute surrealism personified.
In order to disperse all those dark thoughts (by the way, I was stunned to see how on 6 November, everyone else continued chirping and lah-di-dah-ing as if nothing had happened) I went to see the Sony World Photography exhibition, not looking for surrealist photography particularly, but to see if I could find something which I could juxtapose or otherwise use together with my own photos.
The first one is from the exhibition, the second one is my own (I call it “The Dingo ate the Baby”). But naah, they work better separately:
Having barely finished destroying Planet Earth, we are now looking for other planets to go and destroy, including, unfortunately, the moon (though strictly speaking not a planet, but we’ll still do what we can to ruin it). Personally, I prefer to enjoy it from afar with no signs of human interference. The first photo is from the Sony exhibition mentioned earlier – the second is a triptych I made of the setting full moon some time during summer 2024:
The day after, I went in search of some splashes of colour on a grey day, literally as well as metaphorically, and was also hoping for photos to illustrate the contrast between the abundance in this part of the world, compared to the abject deprivation in other parts. I have to say I was unprepared for so much distasteful ugliness, as well as the obscene food waste. But yes – the geese go well with pumpkin – in more ways than one.
On 9 November, Germany celebrated the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In Berlin, a wall of posters was put up along the trajectory of the wall from a little north of the central station to a little beyond Checkpoint Charlie. Impressions from the day are in a separate post. This is one poster that caught my eye with surrealism in mind – I don’t really understand what it is referring to, but the photo looks like it fits the category of surreal:
The next day – birdwatching (a bit of a joke in thick fog) on Tempelhofer Feld. There was definitely a dreamlike atmosphere and again – more photos in a separate post):
Earlier this autumn, I was experimenting with ICM to see if it might make already strange photos stranger, perhaps even creepier.
Sharp or with motion blur – what works best? :
Some more ICM:
Other previous attempts at making photographs look “surreal” – not sure how many of those actually work:
A couple of older triptychs. The first one is what can happen during a pandemic lockdown – the second while walking along a beach somewhere in my favourite part of the world: The Wattenmeer:
I am compiling a list of favourite surrealist photographers – to be added in due course.
On 22 November, I suddenly found myself doing a tiny bit of cutting and pasting:
(The sculpture (minus lips) is by Stephan Balleux).
With Merlin Schiel, Freilandlabor Britz, listed in Umweltkalender.
Woke up to thick fog but a weather app insisting it would lift at around 9.00 – the time of the start of the walk – which is why I attended. The fog did not lift, but there was a special atmosphere on Tempelhofer Feld (not least due to my fear of getting lost since I already have no orientation skills whatsoever), and also, a couple of kestrels let us get quite close, so I am glad I went.
And some on the way out, and some on the way home, and two from my home:
I have never attended any events commemorating or celebrating any of those dates, not even the fall of the wall, thinking it was not my party to hijack, although it was of course of momentous importance far beyond Germany and even Europe.
I also know that many Germans see this latest 9 November event as a day of mourning since it paved the way to the reunification on 3 October 1990 (obviously not celebrated today, but the association is easy to see). Not that they supported the GDR regime, but because they had other dreams, hopes and visions for their country than being annexed by FRG in a process which they feel was bulldozed into being.
But back to today – the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. One of the ways it is being commemorated is with a path of posters and banners, old as well as new, marking the trajectory of the wall from just north of the central station to a little beyond Checkpoint Charlie.
With the promise of a sunny day, I posted a photowalk along that display in the photography group of InterNations.org, “Let’s celebrate freedom while we still have it”, starting at 14.00 hrs at the start of the route just north of the central station. A map of the route can be found here.
I was moved by the number of posters, and the number of people out to walk the route and celebrate. My impressions:
The home stretch after an overwhelming experience, on what was actually a bitterly cold day, survived thanks to good company, a cup of hot chocolate along the way, and the thought of a curry in my favourite restaurant, Sadhu on the corner of Ritterstraße and Lindenstraße, at the end:
And finally, the setting moon spotted towards the end of the walk:
I read about one of the big pumpkin farms in Brandenburg that they exhibit about 100.000 pumpkins, 500 different kinds, some weighing only 35 grams. Some of them are for sale, and dishes with pumpkin can be sampled in a bakery, a café, and a restaurant, where goose raised on the premises can also be sampled. And with joyrides for children.
Spargelhof Klaistow, Glindower Straße 28, 14547, in case anyone wants to visit – this is the last weekend, but I am sure they will be back next year, and are in any case doing something similar during asparagus season. Easily reached on RE1 and bus 641 (but keep an eye on the schedule – the bus only runs hourly).
I thought that might add some welcome splashes of colour on a grey and misty day, and also provide some images I would need for a photography course, illustrating the abundance in this part of the world in contrast to the abject deprivation elsewhere, so off I went to Beelitz.
I was prepared for mountains of pumpkin – not for the way they had been built into tasteless figures and the sight of all that food simply rotting.
Events on internations.org, in my whatsapp group for visiting wine bars and wine festivals, and playing bridge.
I have a Whatsapp group called Pub Quizzes in Berlin. If you are interested in attending pub quizzes, I think you can add yourself to it, or ask me by e-mailing me your phone number.
Späth’sche Christmas Market 1 December
Pierre Boulez Saal 25 November
25 November Classical Music from the 20th and 21st Century
10 November Birdwatching Tempelhofer Feld
9 November photowalk along poster exhibition 35 years fall of the wall
6 November opening of Christian Achenbach in Galerie König
3 November quiznight in Alte Turnhalle
2 November Hasenheide and Tempelhofer Feld with VHS
1 November gallery walk Potsdamer Straße
27 October photowalk with InterNations photography group
26 October Six galleries and a movie
22 October Unerhörte Musik in BKA
Three gallery walks during Berlin Art Week
Wilhelmhallen
10 May: Photo Tour with Go2know
16 May: Das Kleine Grosz Museum
14 April: A play at Schaubühne
16 April: Unerhörte Musik, BKA
23 April: Caspar David Friedrich in Alte Nationalgalerie
24 to 28 April: Berlin Gallery Weekend – two gallery walks – see separate post
30 April afternoon: Academy Concert
30 April: Unerhörte Musik, BKA
5 March Unerhörte Musik, BKA Theater
13 March A Jazz Concert in a Jazz Club
20 March Photo walk Döberitzer Heide
27 March: The Holdovers (organised by me), followed by Indian dinner (organised by Rakesh)
28 March afternoon: The Zone of Interest in my favourite cinema
29 March EITHER Bridge at my Place, OR a jazz concert in B-Flat
30 March organ concert Konzerthaus
31 March Birds (and more) photography walk
5 February: Another Film-maker who needs no introduction
11 February: Spring wine fair in Hamburg
18 February: Photowalk in Gropiusstadt (not organised by me. Photos will appear in a separate post)
19 February: A Berlinale film
20 February: A Berlinale film
21 February: Two Berlinale films
27 February: Unerhörte Musik, BKA Theater
4 January 11.00: Art between politics and society
10 January 11.00: Two exhibitions and a short walk in Kreuzberg – (Find the map of the walking route here).
18 January 18.00: Opening of a group exhibition in a relatively new exhibition space in Mitte
21 January: Photo-Pub (not organised by me)
CANCELLED: 25 January 14.00: Gallery Walk: 1. Galerie Dittrich & Schlechtriem, 2. Galerie Eigen & Art, 3. Galerie Weißer Elephant, 4. Alfred Ehrhard Stiftung, 5. ifa Galerie, and 6. Telegrafenamt, where Galerie König (Alexandrinenstraße) has opened a kind of satellite exhibition. Find a map of the route here.
30 January 11.00: Ken Loach’s latest masterpiece
31 January 12.30: Free lunch concert
LATEST NEWS
About playing bridge, and visiting wine bars and wine festivals in Berlin:
I was hoping to start one group on InterNations.org with the purpose of playing bridge, and another one with the purpose of visiting wine bars and wine festivals, but they would not let me do that (why am I not surprised?). The reason I was given was that those purposes are not specific enough. ??? don’t ask.
Consequently, if you are interested in playing bridge with an already existing small group of people, please find more information in this category.
If you are a wine enthusiast and interested in going out for a glass or two of good wine once or twice a month in a wine bar or at a wine festival, I have started a whatsapp group for the purpose. Please let me have your phone number on this email address if you would like to be added to that mailing list. Also see this post.
And finally, for opportunities for birdwatching and -photography, please see this post about bird-watching in English with VHS Volkshochschule and with NABU.
7 March: Two world premieres in one of Berlin’s best concert halls.
1 December 14.00: The annual pop-up mini art fair
5 December 16.00: Current Academy Students, Future Stars #1
5 December 20.00: New Music for Asian string quintet
13 December 16.00: Current Academy Students, Future Stars #2
17 November 11.00: Same theme – two locations – #1
17 November 14.30: Same theme – two locations – #2
22 November 18:00: A meditative musical style
24 November 10.00: Breakfast and two photography exhibitions
28 November 20.00: New music for string quartet
8 October: Guided tour of highlights of Pergamonmuseum: Photos to come in a separate post.
(Followed by “Vegan Sundays“, and a theatre performance suggested on internations but not posted as events).
12 October: Film in Human Rights Film Festival (not posted by me)
14 October: Gallery event organised by the photography group
If it does not rain, followed by:
14 October 17.00 hrs: IN THE WHATSAPP GROUP for Berlin Wine Enthusiasts: Winzerherbst Tempelhofer Hafen. For more information, e-mail me here.
20 October: Berlinische Galerie (Munch)
26 October: Art and Architecture on a day-trip to Wolfsburg. Städtische Galerie and Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg featuring works from Charkiwer Schule der Fotografie. FIND THE ROUTE HERE.
2 September: Museum der Bildenden Künste and Spinnerei Leipzig
8 September: Guided tour before the official opening of Fotografiska
Interesting interior preserved (“unter Denkmalschutz”) from the Tacheles days, and promising, judging by the three opening exhibitions. Unfortunately, yet another new establishment designed to keep grown-ups out – with annoying “music” in most parts.
9 September: Wein- und Winzerfest am Dorfteich Lichtenrade
A good opportunity to sample wines from small regional, and beyond, wine producers in idyllic surroundings and a nice atmosphere. I had a most pleasant time with two other InterNations members who actually turned up on time (so I will probably do this again – despite a recurring issue which I could avoid by just going by myself):
When posting an event on internations.org, it is for some inscrutable reason obligatory to state not only a start time (obviously) but also an end time. Now, what to me, but since thinking has become so last century not to everybody, is blatantly obvious is that it is impossible to predict how long, or short, I or anyone else will want to stay in a place. Personally, I don’t like to stay anywhere for more than a couple of hours, max., but in some cases, I randomly allow for the possibility that others might when I state the obligatory end time.
Invariably, there are people who will arrive close to the end time, without having notified anybody that they will be late, and complain that there is no longer anybody there. If I allow too short a time span, others will complain that it is not worth it to go all that way for such a short time.
You can’t win.
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… especially for the planet, and for Ukaine (both now about to be thrown under the bus) – not to mention Gaza, is that who knows what might have been if stubborn Joe Biden had given his party enough time to find a suitable candidate ……
This definitely needed some crunch, so I made poppadoms, and also fried some salmon skin in the same oil.
200 g beetroot
850 ml vegetable broth
2 bayleaves
1 star anise
1 tsp szechuan pepper
2 cloves
1 tblsp lemon juice
1 pinch salt
6 gelatine leaves
1 tsp wasabi powder
4 dl whipping cream
Soak four gelatine leaves.
Peel and grate the beetroot.
Simmer for about 25 minutes in 700 ml vegetable broth, bayleaves, anis, peppercorns and cloves. Pass through a sieve and measure out 600 ml liquid.
Melt the now softened and drained four gelatine leaves in the liquid. Distribute in four glasses and let cool, then place in the fridge.
Soak two gelatine leaves.
Heat up the remaining 150 ml vegetable stock and add 1 tsp (or to taste) wasabi powder.
Melt the now soaked and drained two gelatine leaves in the wasabi broth. Let cool till it starts to set slightly.
Whip the cream and turn in the wasabi.
I thought this required some crunch so served it with papadams. Probably highly unauthorised 😊.
17 November Jewish Cemetery Weißensee with Umweltladen Mitte
14 November Berlin Zoo between medical appointment and cinema?
Lovely walk in great company and the best November-in-Berlin weather possible. Saw many different birds – did not get a chance to photograph so many.
Bonus tip: We finished with a coffee in the very nice cafe in “Spore Initiative” – interesting place and architecture, close to U Bhf Leinestraße.
Interesting as always, although a very large group in which there are always people who can’t keep their mouths shut while Eckehard is talking. Anyway, the weather was just as brilliant as the day before, if a little colder.
Here just a couple of unedited photos from my smartphone.
Afterwards, I went to Humboldt Forum to see the exhibition on Palast der Republic, which I found interesting.
Then an early dinner in vegan Vietnamese restaurant Sora on the way to quiznight “Let’s get Quizical” in Alte Turnhalle, where the team I was on came in fourth out of 22 teams. All in all, a perfect 72nd birthday :-).
IN PROGRESS
A reminder to myself that when I moved to Berlin, I set out to visit as many towns and cities in my new neighbouring country – Poland – as possible. A certain pandemic, and a regime change, put a temporary stop to those plans, but now that Poland is back on my good books, it is time to resume those visits.
| Visited | Visit again | Still to be visited |
| Gdansk | Byalystok | |
| Krakow | Bydgoszcz | |
| Łódź | Częstochowa and Chorzow | |
| Lublin | Kostrzyn | |
| Poznań | Poznań | Katowice |
| Szczecin (x 2) | ||
| Torun | ||
| Warsaw | Warsaw | |
| Wrocław |