Berlin with Dustin and Nim

I am feeling porous- a favorite feeling. a challenge, in which I know that I am stretching out of my skin. that my mind is moving and maybe parts are hurting a little. Today was Research Club's Brunch in Berlin. at first it was only us and our hosts and one student from an art school. But it seems the relaxed pace of the venue Gartenstudio carried through in its perfect way- most people arrived "late", others came and went multiple times, some people who didn't know what we were about until last night presented their work spontaneously. One couple (or collaborators) arrived "at the end" with four-page copies of her project descriptions (in german) and proceeded to wow us with their work. We have done what we could to plan and invite and generate energy around the event and then what do you do when most of the speakers you hoped for don't show up and it seems it "isn't working right"? Nim has a watery look about him sometimes- you can see he is in a semi-liminal state. throw a cat at him and he wouldn't be perturbed- he would laugh, joke, defer, question, reference some chinese parable or web project and say hey, check out so and so, and the show goes on... as I said at the beginning of my presentation (also spontaneous), I am continually energized by these meetings. This one was no different. cattywumpus yes, and completely great nonetheless. here is a link for the research club blog post about it. that post has embedded links to all the speakers as well as a summary (and links) of the interviews that Nim has done with Dustin recording, for their research in a feature within Proximity Magazine.

so the speakers! were: Per Schullman, with whom we spent a very pleasant evening last night too at Dustin's Grand Detour screening of Portland area experimental film. He is one of those for whom Dustin adds a "f*$#ing" in front of "awesome"- he designs and has built these excellent cabinets of salvaged drawers restored into a new casing, and will soon be constructing a moving cart (in Istambul) that will unfold into a banquet table into which will be integrated a cookstove and oven, tiny kitchen. He has a little gallery in Hamburg where art and community events happen. He visited Gallery Homeland in Portland and has been involved in the happenings at GartenStudio, which has been our home for these days. We have also enjoyed the company of Malta who gives Gartenstudio its life and character- he is involved in many art projects and teaches flamenco. passionate music and the smoke of hand-rolled cigarettes fills the kitchen.

I presented my short story, Nim had it on file from earlier this year, thank goodness because my friend Madeline didn't make it- mistook the day. but I presented in her stead, and what fun too.. to see people's eyes light up. Mine certainly did when a beautiful french woman stood up a bit later for the first of several spontaneous presentations- with her little girl tugging on her skirt and her equally interesting filmmaker husband coming and going, she described for us that she is a conductor and has created two situations in new york and London in which a painter, the orchestra, herself and a composer created a whole new experience in which a piece was vocalized for one hour but people came and went as they pleased, and the painter made his work impromptu (word?). The next was a neighbor, Stephan. He shared a short promotional video he made for a small vacation place in Italy that welcomes people with special needs. something that will not be advertised with all of that attendant cost and commercial consideration, but shared with friends to generate interest and information about this otherwise unassuming location. Nim also shared for the newcomers that kept dropping in what Research Club is all about. I think he had three opportunities to do so, all of them appreciated, as brunch extended well into five or six pm, I think, with all the coming and going..

And then a classy and quirky couple arrived and soon began to share their delightful creations. From birdhouses to squiggly installations of telephone cord to rocketships under mirrored ceilings, topped off with an animation involving the merging of the yin yang and -was it Goethe?- to create cam shapes and eggs, Maria and her partner Martin opened a little window into her imagination that tickled her lips and quivered her eyebrows.

... the next day I went to the contemporary art museum and caught up with Madeline, and after a little time with her alone, we went to her friend's house for wine and desserts- quickly falling into my favorite conversation topics- art, social justice, history, how certain systems work, and food! I'm at home...

...now we're in London, at the loft of some of Nim's friends from Glasgow art school- it is exactly as you might imagine- a slightly cold big brick building that has been modified over the years to accomodate living quarters- simple but sturdy interior stud walls splitting some spaces into tiny sleeping lofts, a laundry line connected to a pully so it can be raised up to the tall ceiling, and of course the flotsam of artmaking everywhere- fake fruit, sixties postcards, photographs of textures, books on books on piles and shelves of books, twisted bike parts, flags and plants and a fireplace painted on the wall one evening that someone was cold.