I haven’t been
posting for a while once more, but temperature is pretty high in Italy now and
sitting in front of my computer is challenging…
However, I would
like to introduce you today to a topic that I enjoy a lot. I hope you will like
it!
Flea markets are
not only a tradition in Berlin, they are almost institutions. Some are small,
some are huge and take place in several parts of the city. Most flea markets
are on Sunday (like the ones in Boxhagener Platz and Mauerpark), they are a relaxing
ritual for Berliners and the ideal destination for those tourists who wish to
take a break from the classical sightseeing.
Especially interesting
are those flea markets dedicated to a single subject or subculture, for all
people looking for a specific object or garment, for those who like to keep
focused on their own scene or for those who are simply curious. Among the
several categories, for all gothic/dark style lovers there is the Dark Market –Der Gotische Trödelmarkt.
Entrance of Dark Market @ Duncker Club
The gothic
market takes place on the first Sunday of the month, every second month, at
Duncker: the well-known club of the dark scene in Berlin. Entrance is free. Exhibitors
offer a range of both first and second hand goods, beside handmade accessories.
In summer time (of course by good weather) stands are placed outside the club
(by the street), inside it (yeah, directly on the dance floor!) and in the
backyard: a small garden with gazebos and arbor.
Backyard of Duncker Club during Dark Market
Backyard of Duncker Club during Dark Market
The Dark Market
is not only a sale-purchase occasion, but a true rendezvous moment. The bar of
the club works like during night parties and, again in summer time, barbecue is
granted in the backyard. Furthermore, inside the club, there is always a dj
playing dark wave songs at low volume, so that participants can talk.
One of the stands inside Duncker Club. I lost the business card of the talented girl who creates these beauties and who was so kind to let me take the picture: if you konw her, please tell me, because I want to tag her in this photo, as deserved!
To keep updated
about the events and to see the pictures which are taken every time, you can
check the official Facebook page. If you wish to ask for information to take
part as exhibitor, instead, you can send an e-mail to daisy@darkmarket.de , writing as subject of the e-mail “Dark Market”.
Next Dark Market
is scheduled for August 2nd, between 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Duncker Club is
in Duncker Straße 64 and you can reach it by tram M10 (Husemann Straße stop) or
by S-Bahn (Prenzlauer Allee stop) with lines S41, S42 or S85.
Have you already
been there? Are you planning to go? Let me know!
(I wrote the Italian version of this article for the on line magazine Berlino Cacio e Pepe)
One of the dichotomy
in my person is being Italian and having a controversial relationship with
seaside spots. I know it sounds a bit like a stereotype and a cliché, but if
you are Italian or live in Italy, you perfectly know that, when summer holiday
approaches, people ask you the usual question “where at the seaside are you
going exactly?” instead of “where are you going to spend your vacation?”.
Because in summer going to the seaside is a must, no other choice is taken in
consideration. This attitude is so deep-rooted that when I answer “well, I am
actually going to Berlin”, the possible reactions are usually the following:
“Oh, do they
have sea too up there?”
Or
“Oh, ok, you
have family there, haven’t you?”.
Once and for
all: the answer to both questions is no.
I do not blame
anybody for this behavior, it’s a sort of tradition and traditions are hard to
be changed and maybe they shouldn’t at all. By the way, my friends do have this
idea that I hate the sea. What I usually say is that it’s not me who hate it,
but it is the sea itself which hates me. Being as white and pale as a ghost, I
have considerable skin issues when it comes to laying in the sun and sea salt
water plus wind make it worse. Like almost everybody else in this world, I do
not like physical pain and even less I like people asking me what kind of
disease I suffer from (aaaarrrghhh!!!).
Furthermore, in
my early twenties I fell in love with Germany, where I feel at home and my fair
skin is nobody’s business except mine. Sum up all this situations and you will
easily understand why I do not spend my summer on the beach.
Last weekend my
husband’s band (check them out! Klangstein, Rammstein's cover band) played in San Bartolomeo al Mare, a
small town in Liguria, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian sea, and we took the
chance of enjoying a weekend out, a little vacation.
The place was
really lovely. Vegetation is luxuriant there, citrus trees, aloe plants and
wisterias were everywhere, spreading sweet perfumes. We had a little balcony in
our hotel room, from which we had a wide view both over the low hills and the
sea. I spent several hours sitting there, just enjoying open air, the blue sky
above, seagulls (not Steven… :D ) flying over my head and silence.
Then we headed
to the beach. Wow. That was my actual idea of beach life! No one was around. It
was still chilly, so we had our jackets on. The atmosphere was so peaceful and
sun harmless. In April, at 18 C°, you are not really supposed to bathe, but I
couldn’t care the least: I rolled up my trousers and entered in the water up to
my knees. It wasn’t that cold after all!
Dear sea, we’d
better keep our relationship for us only and meet privately, when other people
are away and sun too weak to interfere. Winter-spring should suit, do you agree?
Done!
Una
delle dicotomie della mia persona sta nell’essere italiana e avere un rapporto
conflittuale con il mare. Lo so che suona un po’ come uno stereotipo e un
cliché ma, se siete italiani o vivete in Italia, sapete bene che, quando si
avvicinano le vacanze estive, la domanda più frequente è “Dove andrai al mare?”,
invece di “Dove andrai in vacanza?”. Perché d’estate s’ha da andare al mare,
non c’è santo che tenga. Questa convinzione è talmente radicata che, quando
rispondo “beh, in realtà andrò a Berlino”, le possibili reazioni sono sempre
queste due:
“Ah,
ma a Berlino c’è il mare?”
Oppure
“Ah
ok, hai familiari là, vero?”
Una
volta per tutte, la risposta ad entrambe le domande è: no.
Non
biasimo nessuno per questo comportamento, è una sorta di italica tradizione e
le tradizioni sono difficili da modificare, o forse non bisognerebbe proprio farlo. In
ogni caso, tra i miei amici è diffusa l’idea che io non ami il mare. Quello che
dico solitamente è che non sono io ad odiarlo, è lui che odia me. Essendo
bianca e pallida come un fantasma, ho serie difficoltà con la pelle quando si
tratta di esporsi al sole e il vento e la salsedine non fanno che peggiorare la situazione.
Come la maggior parte delle persone a questo mondo, non mi piace la sofferenza
fisica e ancora meno mi piace sentirmi chiedere di quale malattia soffra (grrrrrrrrr!)!
Inoltre
intorno ai vent’anni mi sono innamorata della Germania, dove mi sento a casa e
la mia pelle pallida è solo affar mio. Sommate tutte queste condizioni e
comprenderete perché non trascorra l’estate in spiaggia.
Lo
scorso weekend il gruppo di mio marito (i Klangstein: andateli a sentire!) ha
suonato a San Bartolomeo al Mare, in Liguria e ne abbiamo approfittato per fare
una mini-vacanzina.
Il
paese é davvero carino. La vegetazione è rigogliosa, ci sono alberi di
agrumi, piante di aloe e di glicine ovunque, emanano nell’aria un profumo
fantastico. La nostra stanza in hotel aveva un terrazzino, con vista sia sulle
collinette circostanti, sia sul mare. Ho passato diverse ore seduta la fuori,
godendomi l’aria aperta, il cielo azzurro, i gabbiani che volavano sopra la mia
testa e il silenzio.
E
poi siamo andati in spiaggia. Wow. Quella era la vita da spiaggia che intendo
io! Non c’era nessuno. Faceva ancora fresco, quindi avevamo ancora i giubbotti.
L’atmosfera era molto tranquilla e il sole innocuo.
In
Aprile, a 18 gradi, non è realmente previsto fare il bagno, ma poco mi
interessava: mi sono arrotolata i pantaloni e sono entrata in acqua fino al
ginocchio. Dopotutto non era poi così fredda!
Caro
mare, io penso che dovremmo tenere la nostra relazione per noi, incontrarci in
privato, lontano da sguardi indiscreti, quando il sole è ancora debole.
Inverno-primavera dovrebbe andare bene, d’accordo? Andata!
La settimana scorsa è stato pubblicato un mio nuovo post per "Berlino Cacio e Pepe", il cui tema è la rassegna "Torino incontra Berlino", che avrà luogo tra gennaio e marzo di quest'anno proprio a Torino.
Inutile dirvi quanto mi faccia piacere che questa serie di eventi si svolga proprio nella mia città! Spero di poter prendere parte a molti, vediamo cosa mi concederà il tempo :)
Last week I wrote a new post for the on line magazine Berlino Cacio e Pepe, it is about the series of exhibitions and events which is taking place in Turin (from January to March 2015) and that is called "Torino incontra Berlino" (Turin meets Berlin).
As my article in the magazine is in Italian only, I'm more than glad to provide you with an English version here.
The idea at the basis of the connection between the two cities is the path they have been following to overcome two difficult historical and economical moments: post war reconstruction, for Berlin, and industrial crisis for Turin.
The history of the German capital and the one of the main Piedmont's city are different, but both have decided to combine urban requalification to a cultural regeneration of the territory.
"Torino incontra Berlino" is offering a wide variety of meetings, exhibitions and performances, which cover music, art, science, philosophy, cinema, theatre dramas, language and literature. Moving from Goethe to Wim Wenders, from Tobias Rehberger's and Rebecca Horn's lights to Sven Marquardt's personal exposition, the viewer will experience German art and knowledge, shown in the cultural locations of Turin.
In occasion of "Torino incontra Berlino", Turin's Goethe Institut will offer an ad hoc German class, addressed to people who already have a good basic knowledge of the language, focussed on Berlin.
The logo and billboard of the event are also worth special attention: a bull, symbol of Turin, and a bear, Berlin's icon, which seem to walk one towards the other. Under this image, it is quoted one of John Kennedy's best known sentences: Ich bin ein Berliner.
Personally, I am really happy that my city is hosting such complete cultural exhibition about my favourite city, I hope I will be able to attend as many events as possible.
If you are interested, you can follow this link to the programme:
My bond to Berlin is very strong, those who know me are quite familiar with this feeling of mine. Every 9th November I like to join the chorus of memories of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, with a thought, a video or a song. This year, which is the 25th anniversary, I have decided to do it from here, from my blog.
In 1989 I was only 8 years old and I had a very little idea of where Berlin and Germany were and even less I knew what was happening there. However, I have a very vivid memory of 10th November 1989.
That morning, when my schoolmates and I arrived at school, we found on each of our 25 desks a copy of "La Stampa" (one of the best known daily newspapers in the area of Turin). We could hardly read our school book, just imagine a newspaper! Anyway, something important had heppened in the world: the border at the Berlin Wall had been opened. Our teacher had thought that even we, small kids, should have been aware of that event, which would have changed history, also our own (and she was so right!)
Each of us read aloud a part of the article, as we used to do during our usual lessons, then we had the content explained with the easiest possible words. We felt like grown up: we had a newspaper and we were talking about "things happening in the world".
14 years later Mary (me!) arrived in Berlin for the first time. I had obviously studied history by that time and I also spoke German but, when I found myself in front of the Berlin Wall ("our part of the Wall", as I usually call the East Side Gallery, because it is very near to the hostel we always stay at), the very first thought I had was that school day at 8 years old. As a child, I would have never guessed that that Berlin, about which I had read in adults newspaper, would have become so important to me.
If nowadays I can travel to the German capital (any time I have enough money...) and I can visit all the city with no limits or problems, it is thanks to those determined and brave berliners who fought to cancel all borders. This post is my THANK YOU.
At the same time I thank all present berliners: thay see us arriving in their city from all over the world, for our holidays or to stay, and they welcome us. May this welcome always be repaid with respect from our side.
I wish a good 9th november to all berliners: the native ones, those of adoption and those who feel berliners in their soul (as I do).
Il mio legame con Berlino (chi mi conosce lo sa bene) è molto forte e, ogni 9 novembre, mi piace unirmi al ricordo dellla caduta del Muro con un pensiero, un video o una canzone. Quest'anno, che è il venticinquesimo anniversario, ho deciso di farlo da qui, dal mio blog.
Nel 1989 io avevo solo 8 anni e una vaga (vaghissima) idea di dove fossero Berlino e la Germania e ancor meno di cosa stesse accadendo laggiù. Però ho un ricordo ancora molto vivo del 10 novembre 1989.
Quel mattino, quando io e i miei compagni siamo arrivati a scuola, su ognuno dei nostri 25 banchetti abbiamo trovato una copia del giornale "La Stampa". Noi sapevamo a malapena leggere il nostro libro di lettura da scuola elementare, figuriamoci un quotidiano! Ma nel mondo era successo qualcosa di importante: era caduto il Muro di Berlino. La maestra aveva ritenuto che anche noi piccoletti dovessimo essere al corrente di quell'evento che avrebbe cambiato la storia, anche la nostra (e se aveva ragione!).
Avevamo letto un pezzo di articolo a testa, ad alta voce, come quando facevamo lezione normalmente, poi ci era stato spiegato il contenuto con le parole più semplici possibili. Ci sentivamo grandi: avevamo il giornale e parlavamo di "cose successe nel mondo".
Quattordici anni dopo, la Mary arrivava a Berlino per la prima volta. Ormai la storia l'avevo studiata e parlavo anche tedesco ma, quando mi sono trovata davanti al Muro ("la nostra parte di Muro", così sono solita chiamare la East Side Gallery, perchè vicinissima all'ostello in cui solitamente soggiorno), il primo pensiero che ho avuto è stato il ricordo di quel giorno di scuola, a 8 anni.
Sicuramente da bambina non avrei mai immaginato che quella Berlino, di cui avevo letto nel giornale degli adulti, sarebbe diventata così importante per me.
Se oggi ho la possibilità di viaggiare verso la capitale tedesca (ogni volta che le finanze me lo permettono...) e visitare tutta la città, senza limiti o problemi, è grazie ai caparbi e coraggiosi berlinesi che negli anni hanno lottato per abbatterne i confini. Questo post è il mio GRAZIE.
E ringrazio anche tutti i berlinesi di oggi, che ci vedono arrivare numerosi da ogni parte del mondo, per le vacanze o per rimanere, e ci accolgono. Cerchiamo di contraccambiare sempre questa accoglienza con il rispetto!
Buon 9 novembre a tutti i berlinesi: a quelli nativi, a quelli d'adozione e a quelli che si sentono berlinesi nello spirito (come me).
The text is in Italian only, but I can provide you with a little summary.
On 9th November 2014 Berlin will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. For such occasion a huge street party is being planned.
Two days before the anniversay date, 8.000 white illuminated balloons will be placed along the 15 km of the former Wall line and, in the night of 9th November, the ropes that tie them will be cut, letting them fly in the sky. During this procedure, Simphony No. 9 of Beethoven will be played. The impact will be highly emotional.
There will be both entertainment and discussion. Some dissidents of the former East Germany will talk about life at the time of the German Democratic Republic and about the night in which the Wall police opened the border, pressed by people determination. In the following hours, hundreds of people crossed that line, along those same meters where many compratriots of theirs lost their lives fighting for their ideas.
Music will have a key role too during the celebration, several performances have been announced, among those: the Berlin State Orchestra, Paul Kalkbrenner (techno musician from Leipzig), a breakdance troupe, etc... .
As some of you probably know, in the last few weeks fell another particular anniversary: the 37th year since when Heroes by David Bowie was published. The song is a symbol of Berlin, not only because it was written in the Hansa Studios when Bowie was living in the city, but also because the lyrics talk about two lovers at the time of the Wall, with all their dreams denied.
Heroes official video
In occasion of the party for the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall, Peter Gabriel will perform Heroes live!
I can only imagine how many people will be in Berlin's streets that night, with all their stories and emotions. I think of those who experienced personally the first crossing of the border between East and West Berlin 25 years ago and also of the new Berliners, those arrived there in the last few years, following their dreams and their hopes in the city which was living a second birth.
For what concerns me, well, I wish I could be there on 9th November, but unfortunately it won't be possible. I will be standing next to you with my thoughts, old and new Berliners.
La mostra "David Bowie is" è stata
inaugurata a Londra il 23 marzo 2013, al Victoria & Albert Museum.
Si tratta di una retrospettiva sulla carriera e sulla vita dell'artista
dagli esordi fino ai giorni nostri.
Essendo
una fervente fan di Bowie, avrei voluto visitare l'expo fin dalla sua
apertura, ma non ho avuto l'occasione di andare a Londra nel periodo di
esposizione (che si è concluso nell'agosto dello stesso anno).
Nella
primavera di quest'anno è apparsa la notizia che "David Bowie is"
sarebbe stata portata a Berlino, per rimanervi fino al 10 agosto. Grazie ad un'imprevisto posticipo della chiusura al 24 agosto, ho potuto visitarla anch'io!
Vi racconto le mie impressioni.
David Bowie is... in Berlin!
Siamo
arrivati al Martin-Gropius-Bau, edificio che ospitava l'evento, in un pomeriggio
di metà agosto. In coda all'ingresso potevano esserci una cinquantina
di persone, per fortuna avevamo acquistato i biglietti on line. Ci hanno dotati di
audio-guida e cuffiette Bose (che è, tra l'altro, uno degli sponsor della mostra) e abbiamo iniziato il percorso, che partiva dall'infanzia di David Bowie.
Le
prime due stanze inquadravano la società londinese negli anni 40' e 50', ripercorrevano i primi anni dell'artista, le ispirazioni, le prime bands e la scelta
del nome d'arte, insomma: il sentiero che ha portato David Robert Jones a
diventare David Bowie.
Passando in un terzo ambiente,
la nostra audio-guida ha iniziato a riprodurre le note di Space
Oddity e ci siamo trovati difronte ad un video con immagini della luna:
avevamo appena lasciato la Terra anche noi e non saremmo tornati almeno
per i 60 minuti successivi. Abbiamo visitato stanza dopo stanza, viaggiando per più di quattro decenni, attraverso le tracce artistiche
lasciate indelebilmente nella storia da Bowie.
Uno dei punti di forza della mostra erano sicuramente gli abiti di scena di David Bowie, una selezione ricchissima: dai costumi di Ziggy Stardust e Aladdin Sane (non so quanto sono rimasta ad ammirare il mantello bianco creato da Yamamoto!), ai completi sobri del Duca Bianco, il cappotto con Union Jack del tour di Earthling e c'erano persino i due pupazzi del video "Where are we now?".
Una delle mie canzoni preferite di questo artista è "Life on Mars?" e ne amo anche il video, un vero esempio del tutto nell'essenzialità. L'abito indossato in questo clip era esposto a fianco di un monitor su cui era riprodotto il video stesso: continuavo ad spostare lo sguardo dal vestito allo schermo e viceversa, mi sembrava che fosse uscito magicamente dalle immagini, in un viaggio spazio-temporale.
Un altro momento da pelle d'oca è stato quando abbiamo raggiunto una stanza molto ampia e con muri alti, l'interno era piuttosto buio. E' partito il video di "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide", il live all'Hammersmith Odeon del 1973. Era proiettato su tutte e quattro le pareti e, a seconda del variare dell'illuminazione, si potevano vedere o le immagini del concerto o le celle nelle pareti, contenenti dei manichini che indossavano abiti di Bowie: era come se apparisse all'improvviso. Noi spettatori eravamo nel mezzo, chi seduto, chi in piedi, ma tutti con il naso all'insù a guardare e a canticchiare il brano. L'idea, forse, era quella di rimanere lì ad oltranza.
Molti altri erano i cimeli provenienti direttamente dall'archivio di Bowie: alcuni strumenti musicali (il suo sax e la sua chitarra!), oggetti tratti dal set dei film più famosi (un mio ricordo d'infanzia: la sfera di cristallo di Jareth in Labyrinth!), video interviste di diverse epoche e tanti scritti "storici" (lo scambio epistolare - lettere firmate e scritte a mano- tra Bowie e Marlene Dietrich!).
L'ultima parte dell'esposizione era dedicata agli anni berlinesi di David Bowie. Dato il mio amore per Berlino e il fatto che la mostra stesse facendo tappa proprio in questa città, tale sezione ha assunto per me connotati ancora più forti. Erano presenti documenti e immagini tratte dalla vita quotidiana di Bowie e Iggy Pop, negli Hansa Studios e per le vie di Berlino, tra il 1976 e il 1978.
Spostandosi verso gli anni '80, venivano proiettate scene del film Christiane F. - Noi, ragazzi dello Zoo di Berlino (e nelle nostre cuffiette risuonava Helden, la versione in tedesco di Heroes, brividi.
Ma è stato proprio alla fine, poco prima di uscire, che mi sono un po' commossa: l'ultimo schermo riproduceva uno speciale sul concerto tenuto nel 1987 a Platz der Republik, a Berlino. La location era nella parte ovest della città, poco distante dal confine. Il concerto era udibile anche da Berlino est, dove la gente cercava di avvicinarsi al Muro, per poter essere più partecipe del momento. La polizia cercava di tenerli lontani, quella notte ci sono stati diversi scontri. Bowie era consapevole di quella parte del suo pubblico che non avrebbe potuto raggiungerlo fisicamente sotto il palco e ha concluso il concerto salutando tutti gli amici dall'altra parte del Muro.
Per me è stata una sensazione forte, un mix di "amore artistico e geografico" e partecipazione storica. Uscire, poco dopo, con addosso ancora il trasporto di queste ultime immagini e rendersi conto (alle mostre ci si estranea sempre un po') di essere a Berlino, era come sentirla sulla pelle.
Se avete la possibilità (e se avete interesse nella tematica, ovviamente), vi consiglio di andare a vedere "David Bowie is", è davvero ricca ed emozionante.
Vi lascio il link con l'elenco delle locations e delle date già confermate:
David Bowie is exhibition was first open to the public in London on 23rd March 2013, at Victoria & Albert Museum. It is a retrospective of the life and career of the artist, from the beginning till nowadays.
I am a huge Bowie's fan, I would have liked so much to see the expo, but I did not have the chance to go to London in that period (it closed in August of the same year).
In spring 2014 it was announced that David Bowie is would have reached Berlin, to stay there until August 10th. Thanks to an unexpected extention to August 24th, I could visit it too!
Let me tell you my impressions.
We arrived at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, building which hosted the event, in a afternoon of mid August. There were about fifty people queuing at the entrance, fortunately we had bought our tickets on line. We have been provided with an audio guide and Bose headphones (Bose was also one of the sponsor of the exhibition) and we began our itinerary, which started from Bowie's childhood.
The first two rooms introduced London's social background in the 40s - 50s, the early years of the artist, his inspirations, the first bands, the choice of his stage name, in short: the path which led David Robert Jones to David Bowie.
Entering a third room, our audio guide started to play the notes of Space Oddity, we were in front of a monitor displaying a video with images of the moon: we had just left the Earth too and we would not have come back, at least for the following sixty minutes. We visited room after room, travelling across four decades through the artistic footprints indelibly left in history by Bowie.
One of the strongest point of the exhibition were surely David Bowie's stage clothes, a very reach selection: from Ziggy Stardust's bodysuits and Aladdin Sane clothing (I don't know how long I stood there admiring the white Cloak designed by Yamamoto!), to the sober suits of the Thin White Duke, moreover the Union Jack Coat of Earthling's tour and also the puppets from the video clip of "Where are we now?".
One of my favourite songs by this musician is "Life on Mars?" and I love the video too: it is a true example of "all in the essential". The suit worn by Bowie in this clip was exposed next to a monitor in which the video itself was running: I stared from the video to the suit and backwards over and over again, it seemed to me like it had magically come out from those images, in a space-time journey.
Life on Mars?
Another highly emotional moment was reached when we entered a wide room, with almost no light inside. "Rock 'n' roll Suicide" video started to run, the one taken from Hammersmith Odeon concert in 1973: it was projected on all the four high walls and, according to light variation, we could see either the concert images or some cells in the wall, where mannequins wearing Bowie's clothes were standing. It was like he himself had suddenly appeared. We, audience, stood in the middle, some sat, some standing, but all looking above and singing the song along. I think none of us intended to move from there as long as it had lasted, even all night long if necessary.
There were many more special items, coming directly from Bowie's archive: some music instruments (his saxophone and his guitar!), objects from his best known movies (a personal childhood memory of mine: the crystal ball from Labyrinth!), video interviews from different periods and many "historical" written documents (the letter-exchange -handwritten and signed- between Marlene Dietrich and him!).
The last part of the exhibition was devoted to the Berlin years of David Bowie. Given my deep love for Berlin and the fact that the expo was taking place in this city at the moment, this section was strongly significant and dear to me. There were several documents and photos from Bowie's and Iggy Pop's everyday life , in the Hansa Studios and in the streets of Berlin, between 1976 and 1978.
Moving towards the 80s, we could see some scenes of the movie Christiane F. - We Children from Bahnhof Zoo (in our headphones was playing Helden, the German version of Heroes. Shivers.).
However, it was at the very end, just before leaving the exhibition, that I was touched the most: the last screen was showing a documentary about the concert which was held in 1987 at Platz der Republik, in Berlin. The location was in the former western sector of the city, not far away from the border. The concert could be heard also in the eastern sector of Berlin and people tried to get the nearest possible to the Wall, to hear better and to somehow take part to the moment. Police tried to keep them back. There have been many fights that night. Bowie was aware of that part of his audience, who would have never been able to reach him phisically under the stage and he finished his concert greeting all friends at the other side of the Wall.
I felt a strong sensation, a mix of "artistic and geographic love" and historical involvement. Going out, short afterwards, still being moved by the last images and realizing (I am always distracted from reality at exhibitions) to be Berlin, it was like feeling it on my skin.
If you have the chance, and obviously if you are interested in the topic, I strongly suggest that you visit "David Bowie is", it is really rich and exciting.
I link you here all locations and dates already confirmed: SAVE THE DATE!
