MudDauberStudio in Berlin

2008-08-24T22:10:00.015+02:00

Hello, Guten Tag, und Bon Jour! Much to share folks...a taste of the final weeks and journey back to KC.

Emsland - After Paris we headed by train (Thalys) to Koln, rented a car and journeyed north to Emsland. In particular, to the villages of Langen, Freren, Lengerich, and Gersten. I was curious to get a sense of place as to where my paternal side, Schonhoff, immigrated from. There was an odd sense of home as the landscape was very much like Iowa and northern Minnesota, with a mix of farms, forest, rivers, and fastidious small towns. One quest was to find a grave marker to finish the story and link to a cemetery in the states. After searching the many sites in the area, I realized there were many new markers but no old ones. Turns out after a discussion with some locals, the graves are 'turned over' every 30 years or so to make room for the 'newcomers'. I'm not sure, but it seems like people must be cremated or not buried at these sites for the plots are too small for full caskets?? The cemeteries are like gardens however, very neat and tended and wonderfully planted. It was amazing and really challenged me to come to a different conclusion regarding my quest....We found Schonhoff graves and names in the phonebooks and people we asked always pointed to Lengerich, and saying "Bauer" ("farmer"), of course.

Hamburger Bahnhof museum - above are some images from there. Beuys, Nauman, Kiefer, and Flavin. Solid.

Holocaust Memorial - I think this site took me off guard. Incredibly moving! I think one of the best augmentations of public space on a theme i have experienced. Quieting, while pulling the strings we might connect to the Holocaust in our own minds. Brutal collective memory. I was in a daze for about an hour after that one.

Bell and Singing Bowl Maker - Michael, is a musician and bell maker. Here he is in his Berlin shop discussing being the 6th generation of bell makers from Leipzig, Germany. Amy and I ended our quest for a singing bowl here. It was great.

Open Studio - I decided I wanted to celebrate by having a private open studio inviting everyone i had met and collaborated with in Berlin. It was a great culmination of ideas and friends and introducing new peoples and sharing my efforts. I was able to do about a dozen drawings, a plethora of photos, 2 found object installations, and 2 performances. I donated 2 chairs to the residency. In general, I'd like to think I manifested a small audience for my practice with amazing future possibilities. I like to think i am following the ideas i don't remember having....yeah.

A very good German red wine, I know my parents, among others would love. Now to find it in the states....

Final dinner with other residents... The night before we left we had a little potluck...I made currywurst. I was blessed with excellent residency mates! And they all cooked quite well making for nice evenings paired with the local beverages..

I take my leave from Berlin. Loaded, with gear that is...yeah. To the flugzeug(airplane) in my new threads from Flaming Squeegee, thanks Zoey!

8 Euro luggage to return my studio ranting objects.

watching the German coastline to the horizon. And i noticed instead of offshore drill rigs, they had wind farms.....nice.

Hanging out with Veronica on the New Jersey train from Newark to Penn Station, NYC. We got stuck for about an hour in the tunnel about 1/4 mile from the city....needless to say we all got to know each other quite well....

Our humble abode in Harlem...i love Harlem. Thanks Amalia and Glenn!

Louise Bourgeois at the Guggenheim. A perfect site for her retrospective.

Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

From the roof of the New Museum.

Looking in the window at the Studio Museum Harlem.

Central Park, NYC

Greeted by our yard in KC. Yes it was wonderfully overgrown and full of flowers and indigins, and rabbits. It actually reminded me of plots in Berlin. But what doesn't remind me of Berlin these days. I will be back.

I'm not sure how much i will continue this blog, but i know I will be processing this journey for some time. I cannot thank enough so many of you for your support and conversation. Linda, Janet, Amy, my parents, family, the in-laws, KC artists, Artspacers, and friends and colleagues in far places. I feel pretty blessed on many levels being back. This is a big part of my story with so many sparkling confluences occurring over the last few months.

I close for now by stating this residency and travels have been made possible by the generous support of the Lighton International Artist Exchange Program at the Kansas City Artist Coalition. What an absolute Bomb for KC. Kudos to Linda Lighton and the KCAC! And many, many thanks! In the near future, I will be presenting with more visuals and discussion on my experience. Please stay tuned, it will be good.

Sho-Nuff!

2008-08-10T20:16:00.004+02:00

So I spent several days gallery hopping in Berlin, just a few shots of some of the work I saw. Some of the galleries were on summer break or about to start, but many were open. With over 600 galleries in the city, still many to see. I was quite impressed with the variety and strength of much of the work, but many an artist from Kansas City could hold there own. I think a KC gallery would go well with the scene! I met with a few gallerists and hope to get some more audience for my work. May thoughts and inspirations, similarities and reminders within what I saw and spoke to folks about. The galleries seem spread about the city with several main pockets and strips of various quality. Many mixed use studio/exhibit spaces with monthly openings and closings. I like the balance of grassroots motivated artists working together and the high end galleries representing at the art fairs. I think Berlin is assembling a new fair including many non traditional spaces....lots going on to say the least.

Amy arrives and we travel to Alexanderplatz! So much to see and people to meet in Berlin. She was a bit lagged, but did well for day 1!

German beer with good froth and lace!

Stairs in Paris where we stayed. Late dinner, art, art, art, walking, architecture, art, food, gardens, gardens, cigar, Bordeaux, souffle, tar'tar, and more. Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Luxembourg Gardens, and our new friend/guide Terence, who gave us an insiders peek and recommended our last meal. Many many thanks! Until we meet again!

Louvre. I documented many 'winged' images. Fine source material. My thoughts and inspirations are beyond writing now, but I look forward to sharing more and processing when I return. My sense of being American, culture, artists practice, and awareness has shifted....I think. I am blissfully overloaded! I am not sure what will manifest from all of this, but i try to remain open to all possibilities and aware of the many inspirations. If I can say...I have been existing differently and I hope to carry some of it with me onward.

VVG

Luxembourg Gardens

Terence

Now off to Emsland, the site of my paternal immigration. I am eager to see and feel and be in this place......Langen, Freren, Lingerich, and Gersten. Near the major sites of the Prussian war, WWI, and many a medieval skirmish.

2008-07-28T10:53:00.007+02:00

Hallo!

So I took a journey down Karl Marx Allee.....the major show-me GDR celebrate communism avenue. Broad long and monumental. I'm not sure how its honored, or not, by the community? Hopefully the pictures will explain. I have been reading about our need and relevance of our own history since I've been here and seeing it too. Can history give us something new, if we need something new. Where does history extend its usefulness to live in the present? The Great Western Archive?

Cafe on Karl Marx Allee.

Historical Marker. There are about 40 in all put up inthe last 18 some years.....alll but a few look like this or worse.

Renovations to the Moscow Cafe.

a mural in a building now housing a thrift store

Image from the wall (der mauer)

One day I made a visit to the studio of Christian Rothman. I was very impressed and inspired by our conversation, his space and bodies of work. He left to Korea the next day for the biennale. We chatted about art and art in Berlin and it was very enlightening. Thanks Christian, good luck in Korea!

Christian in his studio.

Turkish market in Kreuzberg...

On the first nice summer day everyone was outside. I have a feeling Berliners really take advantage of the Summers...I gues winters are rather grey, but not super cold or snowy. Buffalo. So in any case a group of us spend most of the afternoon in a park in Friedrichshain (FREE-dricks-hine) at the invitation of Marcus who had created a solar oven. We sat in the park, played cards, and than after 4 hours of cooking we feasted on potatoes, garlic, corn, and apples! Cool.

Marcus preparing the Essen(food)

OBAMA!

As I walk to see Obama...

Brat purchased as I wait for Obama....

me and Mamoru waiting for Obama...

Obama. Yeah he played the part well. Very well received! I could not believe the crowd. We had a good seat.

So after obama we go to the reception of an exhibition inspired by a journey and analysis of Mexico City. Is crime, corruption, housing, community, etc. I found it very interesting although it was in german. I was reinspired to make a trip to the border. i found it ironic after seeing Obama,

and our work that needs to be done in regard to our virtual wall at the border.

The image was an incredible Ska mexican, salsa, rock band....yes from Mexico, at the after party, in an under garage boat dock off the Spree river. nice.

Recent studio shots and my first art purchace. A share of a project by artist, Jofroi Amaral at Gallerie Andrieu.

tschuss!

( many have asked about this...* Tschüss (t/YS) (chews) interjection German slang (from French: adieu) An informal goodbye among friends.

2008-07-20T23:07:00.010+02:00

....what a first week! We had our opening reception last night (Saurday) and it was fantastic! Good people, good energy, and amazing art. I was one of three performances occuring. My piece titled, "Spielen Sie Euchre," involved myself and 4 participants playing the card game of Euchre at a table, as I was taught to play. A Friend of a friend Megan, whom I actually met in KC, brought several friends, so we had a full table for the night. It was a wonderfully active engagemant with some great folks from Berlin. I taught them the game by which as I explained things, I asked them to repeat things in German, so it was a 'lingual salad' of rules of play. After we all got the hang of it, we played a full game enjoying lively discussion and playful bantering. I also have a few other interested individuals in playing, so I am scheduling more game time during public hours. so far so good! The post party was Berlin at its finest! I let you image the details......one odd happening of note was when I was intruduced to a friend of the residency, an artist also originally from, yes, Dubuque, Iowa.......yeah, go figure. They say we Dubuquers are everywhere, and alas, it.....is.......true. cool.

So this week was pretty much about getting us all ready for the exhibition, a bit stressful, but a nice accomplishment for the first week, none the less. Needless to say I have not ventured much outside of Friedrichshain, the nieghborhood I am in. The one time I left was to a friend of a KC friends closing reception, artist Christian Rothman. It was a wonderful exhibit with a BBQ in the back courtyard, parking area. I met several very nice artists and galleriests, whom I hope to hook up with again, soon. From what i have been hearing, it is relatively easy for an American artist to get a 1 year visa and be here as an artist....HOW COOL IS THAT!

street snack

I would love, love to find a gallery here, so next week I visit some and schedule some studio visits. I have started several large drawings while in my studio. SOme more left brain projects I've been wanting more time to explore, and some are right brain extrapolations. This way i always have something to dialog with depending on my state of mind. The third approach to my stay is to begin a dialog with some found objects. With so much detritis in the city, it is a bit daunting to find my way thru that cover, but I will continue to be with it and let it guide me. I'm not sure what will happen, but I did score an old newspaper sign....I think its a good start or anchor....maybe.

I explored the East side gallery, the longest remaining section of the wall, which is just south here within walking distance. Its a must see but touristy as well. The context is perplexing after years of reunifying. It is near the bridge that connected the AMerican Sector to the Russian sector of Berlin.

We've also had someone already leave and another person come in the residency. There is a strange sadness and casualness to it all. I guess its comes with the territory, so to speak. It really makes us enjoy one another at each moment. But there is faith on my part that many of us will hook up again. Most of the other residents are from the states, as well (Detroit, Baltimore, Connecticut, New York) with one from Ireland and another from Norway, with another American pursuing staying in Berlin. It seems like being an immigrating american artist is keen to many. Starting in August, there will be a pretty major rotation, so we'll see who comes. All in all, it is a fantastic community living environment, created by the artist present.

Alex and Kathy....you rock, lets hook it up stateside!

oddly, the traffic lights in the former East Berlin have standard walking signals, but the little green man and red man have hats. A little carry over that they apparently kept for a civic pride distinction. Is it interesting to see these sorts of remnants and which ones are kept and which ones are bulldozed........The city so far seems like contemporary ruins, but with maybe a shrinking use of history and future. Its hard to describe. So dirty its gorgious. I have no good recipe of cities to describe it with yet. It is a feast for be-ing.

2008-07-16T23:49:00.001+02:00

Images from in and around the residency.....tschuss!

Michael Schonhoff - takt kunstprojektraum, Berlin

2008-07-16T18:45:00.000+02:00

Well here goes....This is the start of a journal/blog of my happenings, thoughts, and cyber ramblings... Please comment/question as you feel so possessed......leading me to the residency space which might have some extra curricular other siders hanging around...somethings dropping those dishes. Who was oppressed here under the GDR? We are several blocks from Karl Marx Allee....I 'll take my leave with that. peace and blessings, mjs