WEINEN / COQUET & VAUDOU — MINI BOUTIQUE FOR HANDCRAFTED PERFUME AND WINES BY ALEXX & ANTON

To call Weinen a shop wouldn’t be quite right: this pink and green hole-in-the-wall on Brunnenstrasse is more of a space to experience something than a store for buying things. It is run by two creative directors, Alexx and Anton, who I met when I came to sample their creations: a trio of wines made from hand picked grapes at the Seckinger winery in the Palatinate. The beautiful white, rosé and red bottles are inspired by the mythical image of Dionysus, known as the god of wine. The white, for example, is a cuvée made with Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc grapes that bring a tasty synergy of depth and freshness. You can visit the space yourself and taste all three bottles, though to call Weinen a wine shop is also not quite right, because it’s home to another handcrafted luxury: limited edition fragrances.

Two extraits de parfum, Coquet and Vaudou, were created by Alexx and Anton alongside perfumer Will Inrig and are intended to reflect the pair’s personalities. Complex and concentrated, they come packaged in beautiful bottles – one white, one black – that resemble chess pieces. These ceramic flacons are handcrafted by Japanese artist Yasuhiro Cuze, and each is unique. Each perfume set comes with three limited edition photographic prints by Danish photographer Sigurd Grunberger, completing the sensory experience. During December, you can experience both bottles – wine and perfume – in the intimate, curtain-shrouded space on Saturday afternoons and by appointment.

Text: Dave Alcantara / Photos: Dave Alcantara & Sigurd Grünberger

Weinen / Coquet & Vaudou, Brunnenstr.6, 10119 Berlin–Mitte; map
Sat from 14h, and by appointment.

@weinenwein
@coquetvaudou

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Medienpartnerschaft

VIDEO TALES OF TIGER COUNTRY — “ANOTHER WORLD” FROM CHRISTOPHER KULENDRAN THOMAS AT THE KW INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART

History, it is said, is written by the winners. But when you’re imagining a whole new society, it might just be worth listening to the losers whose ideas were ditched in defeat. That’s precisely the task London-born artist Christopher Kulendran Thomas has given himself with Another World, a multimedia exhibition developed with longtime collaborator Annika Kuhlmann that fills two floors of the KW Institute for Contemporary Art. The “losers” in this case are the Tamil liberation movement, whose armed campaign to establish their own state in Sri Lanka was lost in 2009 after 26 years of bloody fighting. Huge floor-to-ceiling projections greet you as you enter the “The Finesse”, a video installation specially created by Kulendran Thomas and Kuhlmann for the show: a lush jungle (representing the forest planted by the Tamils to source timber for their proposed socialist state) is shown alongside videos featuring AI-generated avatars and interviews. In one example, a Tamil architect known simply as Manmahal explains her vision for a Tamil state, a Kalaschnikow resting in her arms.

Upstairs is Kulendran Thomas’s 2019 work “Being Human”, another video piece that blends footage of real people with computer-generated characters – ranging from guests at the Colombo Art Biennale to internationally known pop stars. Displayed next to the projection are paintings made using machine-learning algorithms trained on both western and Tamil art. Real and AI images jump between Sri Lanka as it exists now and the socialist Tamil state dreamt of by the revolutionaries. In doing this, Kulendran Thomas asks us to wonder: would life be better if the losers had won and their dreams – of another world – had become reality? You can get a preview of the show online with the KW Studio video platform, which features curator interviews and material from the exhibition. “Another world” runs until 15.01.2023, and is accompanied by three other exhibitions in KW’s current program: Michel Majerus – Early Works, Atiéna R. Kilfa – The Unhomely and the BPA// Exhibition 2022. As ever, on Thursdays 18–21h entry to the exhibitions is free.

Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Frank Sperling / Credit: Philippe Van Snick Dag, 1984 – ongoing. Installation view entrance gate, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Courtesy Tatjana Pieter; Christopher Kulendran Thomas, The Finesse, 2022 in collaboration with Annika Kuhlmann. Installation view of the exhibition Christopher Kulendran Thomas – Another World at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin 2022

KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Auguststr.69, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map

Christopher Kulendran Thomas – Another World, until 15.01.2023
Wed, Fri–Mon 11–19h & Thu 11–21h

@kwinstitutefcontemporaryart

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TOGETHER ON STAGE — LIVE COMPOSITIONS, LANGUAGE TANDEMS & BRAZILIAN DINNER AT PÚBLICO FESTIVAL

Moqueca, which originated in northern Brazil, is considered the country’s national dish. For the Brazilian-German artist duo Po:era, it’s emblematic of the cultures, beliefs and ideas that have been consumed by Christianity, capitalism and industrial development and continue to be dominated by them. The traditional stew – whose ingredients vary from region to region – is both the title and the starting point of an audio walk through Mitte, which ends with a shared Moqueca meal at Rosenthaler Platz. This is where the Acker Stadt Palast has been located for ten years now: In the 1990s, cultural activists occupied the former chocolate factory, and after years of struggle, with the help of the Berlin Senate, a permanent venue was established in 2012 – and with it a space for the independent scene, where contemporary meets experimental theater, newcomers meet established artists, music and dance meet the stage. Reason enough to celebrate: after almost three years of hiatus due to the pandemic, Público Festival (until 18.12.2022) will focus on just that. The program includes projects that tune the audience into all their senses, turning them into active participants.

For the #share Interferenz series, one performer and one composer will meet on blind dates over six evenings, during which the audience will act as choir and conductor at the same time. With Tonight, lights out! director and performer David Weber-Krebs explores the sense of community and solidarity that can emerge in a fixed moment: Wired with light bulbs, he prepares his audience – borrowing from a Bild article from 2007 in which readers were called upon to protest together against climate change – for the moment when everyone turns off the lights in the hall at the same time. Katharina von Wilcke’s Language & Art Lovers turns the title into a manifesto: After attending the performance, participants with different language backgrounds are brought together in tandem pairs to talk about what they have seen in German, English, Portuguese and Spanish. It runs for ten days – enough time to break through the fourth wall.

Text: Hanna Komornitzyk / Photos: Gianluca la Bruna & Nadia Zgank / Graphic: Público Festival & Grupppo

Público Festival (runs until 18.12.2022) at Acker Stadt Palast, Ackerstr.169/170, 10115 Berlin–Mitte; map

@acker_stadt_palast

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Restaurants

JORD — TRADITIONAL GERMAN ABENDBROT GIVEN A MICHELIN STAR MAKEOVER BY BJÖRN SWANSON

Do you know the German word “Abendbrot”? Those light meals with bread, sausage, cheese and pickles from a jar? Familiar foods that give you the feeling of being at grandma’s house. At Jord, the restaurant run by Michelin star chef Björn Swanson, there’s no trace of grandma’s dated furnishings. Instead, you’re surrounded by a minimalist, cozy space that brings a touch of “old” Berlin. A gray cement floor meets white walls, with delicate wood and iron tables arranged under gold-gilded beams. The welcome is warm as you’re led past a well-equipped wine fridge to your table. As for the menu, it carries the word “Tischvoll” (“full table”) and is as streamlined as the interior. Instead of being served one dish after another, all the food is presented at the same time, leaving the order in which you eat up to you.

You’ll find fresh interpretations of Leberwurst, Berlin mustard egg with char fish caviar, pickled vegetables and lettuce á la Oma Irmgard – Swanson’s grandmother. For those less hungry, there’s a pared-down option with bread, butter, radish and cheese. Wine consultant Berdanette Wullich and sommelier Maximilian Kraft keep the glasses full with the finest wines throughout the evening. Simple and sensational, this Abendbrot is one you won’t easily forget.

Text: Ines Spicker / Photos: Lukas Kirchgasser & Ines Spicker

Jord, Brunnenstr.172, 10119 Berlin–Mitte; map
Mon–Sat 18–0h

@jord_berlin

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SKY-HIGH AND SCROLLABLE: KONRAD LANGER’S URBAN PHOTOGRAPHY — POWERED BY SQUARESPACE

He is a man after our own hearts: Konrad Langer is a photographer who’s at his happiest when out exploring the city. Producing both commercial and artistic work, the Berlin creative has become sought-after for his vivid, contrast-rich images of urban scenes. Langer’s Vertical Realities series, for instance, captures facades of high-rise buildings in cities around the globe with such clarity that they almost look like graphics. Shown side-by-side on his social media feed, the photographs are sharp, symmetrical and infinitely scrollable. If you want to find out how Langer finds his dramatic locations, you can join him for a tour of beautiful, unusual photo spots in Kreuzberg and Mitte (next tour: 10.12.2022).

For some photo inspiration in the meantime, check out Langer’s website, where you’ll find photos of everything from Berlin Plattenbaus to San Diago palm trees. If you want to show your own pics to the world or sell them online, head over to Squarespace where you can make a homepage like Langer’s. The platform includes ready-to-go templates and an intuitive interface that lets you get your site up and running in just a few clicks. Also available are tools to monetize and market your business easily, meaning there’s more time for those all-important urban adventures.

Text: Scott Moss / Photos: Konrad Langer & Anna Nekrashevich

Konrad Langer’s website was built on Squarespace. Tickets for Langer’s photo tours can be booked online.

Cee Cee readers can get 20 percent off Squarespace here.

@squarespace
@konaction

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