Summer MADness

About the pictures:
1) moving moving moving
2) soccer bar in Neukölln
3) soccer madness in Kreuzberg
4) Fete de La Music in Prenzlauer Berg
5) Christopher Street Day in Kreuzberg
6) my old backyard in Neukölln preparing for the heatwave
7) at the Auditorium of my old art school in Bremen where I gave a
speech about my work earlier today

It has been a few days since I last posted a new entry but june was
definetly one of the busiest month ever.
I spent the last few weeks working on a sound and video installation
for a group exhibition in Bremen and on a speech at my old art
school. The exhibtion opens next weekend so there is still a lot to
do setting the whole thing up.
I am sitting in an ICE travelling with 200 Km/h through Germany. It
is interesting how quiet people are on ICEs. All you hear is the warm
and soothing hum of the powerful machines and the wind outside - the
air getting cut in half by this rocket on wheels. And then all of the
sudden a phone rings and 20 or more people listen to someone giving
away the most private information to their lovers, wifes, husbands,
mothers, fathers, children, friends or coworkers. The acoustics on
the train make it impossible not to listen. A girl screaming at her
mother because she never let´s her finish a sentence, a business man
talking about a contract he has to sign tomorrow, a business women
chatting with a friend about another friend, presents, addresses and
when to pick her up from the airport on saturday. People complain
about cameras on street corners high up in the sky but they don´t
care about talking on the phone in public just like I don´t care that
the man sitting behind me is reading what I am writing right now
(this one is for you - yes I have noticed).
Last week I moved into a new studio and out of my apartment. Good Bye
Neukölln and Hello Treptow.
Treptow is fantastic. Still cheaper than Neukölln, more quiet, more
mellow, completely unhip and with a bunch of cheap restaurants just
around the corner. The excitment about a new neighbourhood is still
something that I really enjoy. Walking around the block and checking
out the cheapest hair dresser, the closest bar, the community
gallery... I have moved so often in my life already but it never
becomes a routine.
Berlin and I guess a lot of other european citys felt a bit like a
madhouse whenever the soccer Euro Cup was on. The madness is finally
over and everyone one could go back to normal if it wasn´t for the
crazy heatwave. People are melting in the streets and I am beginning
to miss my freezing cold apartment. I did watch a couple of games,
too and although I have to admit that some nights I had a lot of fun
due to delays in tv transmission or super crowded bars, I still think
soccer is one of the lamest sports ever.
I enjoy the fact that the whole nation is coming a bit closer during
mayor sports events but this doesn´t change the fact that Germany is
free falling.
Oil and gas prices are exploding, food is getting more expensive, the
government is constantly lying about unemployment numbers, huge
companies are making more money than ever, small companies go
bankruptcy... Basic living expenses used to be soo cheap and now more
and more people are moving straight towards the poverty line about to
cross it any time.
Almost every 4th person in Germany is poor! Did you know that?
Seriously we are going down. German workers are actually starting to
work in Poland now because qualified polish workers all went up to
Scandinavia and scandinavian artists are coming down to Berlin
pushing the apartment prices up just like the people from Paris,
London, New York and Munich because they are all still excited about
how cheap life is over here and they are willing to pay much more
than any Berliner could ever afford.
I won´t complain. I moved on to Treptow now if that part gets too
expensive I move to Wedding and so on... You can´t take over the
whole city - Berlin is big.
(Don´t get me wrong - I deeply appreciate every guest or new Berliner
- it is super exciting to meet so many friendly and good people from
all over the world - it is just that we need more jobs in the city so
that everyone can profit from the new hype.)

I am actually going to be able to have a short vacation this summer.
I can´t remember the last proper vacation I had - I mean a few days
without Laptop and feed in the ocean kind of vacation...
It´s going to be Spain and I can´t wait to be there in august.

I wish you all a wonderful summer. Give me a ring if you feel like a
drink in the park.