Favorite Spots

I've been a bit quite lately. Enjoy a late night view on the pantheon and the Friedericianum. I'll be back ;-)

Dear friends, come to Kassel! Now!

If you ever thought of visiting me, this is the time to do it. This is the city I want to show you: artistic, enthusiastic, vibrant and welcoming!

Everything is prepared, I'm well informed and looking very much forward to share and spend the following days with you.

And when it get's to much, we can relax, all together, under the sunny sky.

So? What do you say? 98 days left.

The first of 100 days

It's official now: documenta14 has started. The press, politicians, protesters, art enthusiasts and the people of Kassel gathered for the first day of the most important 100 days since september 2012. I'm standing among the people and am listening to their memories from their first documenta, for some it was 5 years ago (like for me), for others it was more than 60 years ago. And they are all excited but it wouldn't be authentic if they wouldn't complain. There is too much police and too much security. Niw I understand the writing on Friedericianum "BEINGSAFEISSCARY".

The Parthenon of books looks like it always belonged here. I already can't imagine Friedrichsplatz without it.

Thank you Netcome for the free wifi in the city and thank you Lifeshift for the extra energy.

It's about the view

The location with the best view in Kassel makes the most of it during documenta14: floor14 at the rooftop of shopping centre "Galeria Kaufhof". 

It's open! And it's amazing! The view, the wind and the ice cream.

The interesting part is: nobody cares for Herkules anymore. Probably documenta effect :)

See you up there! Every day for 100 days.

The green part of d14

What I like most about documenta are the exhibits in parks and gardens throughout  the city. Every green spot is being turned into art. Well, I think nature itself is art, but many documenta artists are giving it a new touch or are giving their pieces a totally different story when in nature.

Tamoeta's Stories goes d14

We're almost set: our homes are clean, laundry is done, the fridge is filled... because who knows when we're gonna have time for all this in the upcoming 100 days.
The streets of Kassel are all new, the lawn is cut, the sunshine is ordered... because we're expecting many friends, relatives, acquaintances and friends of friends, all arts enthusiasts from all over the world.

Expiration Movement by Daniel Knorr

Most of the art pieces are finished and those which aren't yet, they need our support, like the Parthenon of Books. The art builders were doing an amazing job today, but it looks like they lack some more books.

So, when you're gonna visit me during the upcoming 100 days, make sure you bring one of these books with you and become party of the world's greatest exhibition of modern and contemporary art.

Parthenon of Books by Marta Minujín and Pierre Bal-Blanc

Beingsafeisscary by Banu Cennetoğlu

Look at this place...this place is right in front of my office building. So, before you get tired getting up those many stairs to my office, stop by here. You're definitely gonna find me there and at the same time you'll learn about food production and independent gardening initiatives from the region of Northern Hessen. A documenta14 garden! This is so much better than expected.

Projekt foodoctopia mit krisenKONTERKIOSK

 

5 more days until this counter will open! 5 more days of patience, excitement, curiosity... and did I mention patience? 

4.Y.i.K.

It's been a while since I wrote the last time… actually more than one year and it's been a busy, busy year. This note today is an anniversary note for celebrating four years in Kassel. The fact that I did not manage to write it on the anniversary day of October 1st shows how awesome that day and weekend has been :)

When I started thinking about what I want to write, I realized I did not have a story to tell or an experience to share … it's more of reflection and insight. I thought about how many things I've learned since I am here and how much I have changed (in thinking, in attitude, in aims and aspirations) and also how many parts of the old me I have lost. One of the recent achievements would be the degree I earned last winter (one that I can put next to my name, but not yet in my ID :P), in addition to all knowledge and skills I acquired in the area I specialized for, all the people around the world I am connected to and the beautiful lifelong friendships we built. In the same time I feel like losing more and more of my connections back home, to the people I dreamed of changing the world with, to the places I once thought would be my home and to the aims and aspirations I came to Kassel with four years ago.

Here I found people I can work with but not yet found the environment that gives me the necessary inspiration and motivation to really succeed in what I am good at. I learned that my current main job is not my dream job, but that I find from time to time jobs I dreamed of doing. I learned that internationalization and international mobility might be good for the system but I don't like to have people leaving all the time. I learned that sometimes we can't change everything around us, and then we need to change something inside us.

I did not learn though how to work in a factory, how to obey, how to take a destructive feedback and how to lower my expectations (on me and on the others).

And I also learned that you need to be very careful what you wish for, because it becomes reality!

I see you!