FundamentallySound Blog

I came to Berlin to absorb, not produce. In the past I've always tried to do shows, make connections, etc. This time is a bit different, I just want to learn and be dazzled.

I spent four days in Kassel with Nora, Juan, and Radim. My time there was spent drinking a lot of German beer and feeling a bit underwhelmed by the art at Documenta. But I was totally stimulated by the curation and presentation. Late in the afternoon of the second day, while taking in a Diaz and Riedweg piece, I think the whole thing made sense. All that about modernity as our antiquity and so on, it all clicked. I could see the intelligence of the bare-bones presentation, the pieces culled from over 400 years of art history, all working to deflate the self-importance of art itself. It was very "anti" and smartly so. But are things really this broken?

Back in Berlin, Big City Orchestra (California) and Rinus van Alabeek (NL) were great fun at Zentrale Randlage, a venue I played at a couple of years ago, which is sadly closing at the end of the month. And Roses Bar, with its fluffy pink walls, too many disco balls, and high-absurdist-kitsch is my favorite bar in the world. The fact that it dares combine fluffy gay-ness with tough kreuzberg neighborhood attitude is enough to make me swoon.

Phoebe Washburn has a great show up at Deutsche Guggenheim. I want to decorate our apartment in the style of all those light woods, yellows, greens, and reds.

I went to a performance of OM-2 with Momus and Hisae, really great to see him and meet Hisae. The performance was too darkly nihilistic but the great ramen afterwards made up for it. I learned of Momus as a writer before I ever heard his music, his essays on Japan were a big influence on my understanding of Japan while I was living there. I met him for the first time in 2003, I think. I still admire his writing and Hang Low from his most recent CD is an excellent song. So hanging out with him in person is always a joy.

Last night found me at Tesla, a venue for electronic arts that, too, is sadly closing. Nathan, Laura, and I took in performances by the ensemble Die Maulwerker. The music was highly cerebral and strangely de-sexualized. While listening I forgot I even had a body. It gave my brain a charge but left everything below my neck cold. I used to be very interested in this neuter type of music when I was closeted and before my first boyfriend.

Tonight I'm off to the LA-Berlin festival at Ballhaus Naunyn, looking forward to hearing Scott Arford's new work. Yes, Berlin is everything I always imagine it to be.

(this was written on my iphone, apologies if grammar and spelling have suffered, or if you have because of it).