Berlin … an amazing city. It has a real energy, but also a looseness, a laidback feeling. Berliners don’t like to look they are trying too hard.
The line that came up in the workshop as the one which best expresses what it really means to live in Berlin, is, IT’S A BIT SUSPICIOUS IF YOU HAVE TOO MUCH MONEY. It feels right, but it’s a very long sentence to photograph.
The first attempt at the shoot is on the steps of the tower on Alexanderplatz. But the light is not good. And there are other problems.
A test shot on the Alexamderplatz
The rest of the week is spent looking for a better location.
One night I visit Berlin-based Candice Breitz, in her studio, and she interrupts her marathon editing of her twins project long enough to head out for a supper of Chinese dumplings at her local.
Candice Breitz
On my last day in Berlin, we shoot again, on the steps of the Reichstag.
The rain stops just in time, and everyone shows up for the shoot. The only problem is … the security police, who half way through the shoot, object to us holding up letters.
After intense negotiation, they allow us to continue. Except that we may not hold the letters up. We may, however, stand there empty handed. Pretending we are holding letters up. It’s going to be interesting working this one out …
Box lunch with Lisa Brice in the Tate Modern members room.
So it’s on to London. It’s great to catch up with Lisa Brice again, and the Alice Neel portrait show at the Whitechapel is fantastic. So is the Francis Alys, at the Tate Modern. And the sun doesn’t stop shining.
Francis Alys’ rubber mat installation at the Tate Modern
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