12.01.2011 'Wintertraum Weihnachtsmarkt' at Alexa, KW gallery: Field Recordings, Helen Mirra

KW is that way..

It's December! And the weather has been great. I've been here for almost a month (without starving to death)! There's lots of sun and little grey, so everything seems nicer although we are all stuck working indoors. Nevertheless, it is nice to be able to put away my winter jacket, and just layer on the scarves to stay warm.
Everyone at work had prior arrangements today so they left a bit early and my plan was to take it easy, but I had so much time and it was a Thursday, how could I waste it?

This door doesn't even get you to the exhibition.

I went to the renowned KW gallery. They had an exhibition called Field Recordings by Helen Mirra. I say renowned because the lady at work has been praising it, so I was expecting it to be super cool. It was all right, the space was nice, and perfect for exhibitions. I also did some research on Helen Mirra before going, I think her previous exhibition work was cooler. Anyway, I don't have much to say about it, and I suppose she didn't have much to say in her work either. (because there were no words, get it? har har) She's very methodological in her "practice" with one print per hour of walking, and seven prints per day. And there were three rooms representing the three regions she covered. This exhibition is called field recordings because it is about her travelling and the record of her walks. The idea is to go "beyond the idea of field research as an artistic strategy." 'Field recordings' generally refers to sound recordings of nature for documentation and archiving, and Helen Mirra does not merely transfer this concept into art, but rather develops an artistic practice that supports a holistic "recording" of nature.

Field Recordings, Helen Mirra

Look at those shoes!

I have come to the realization that I could see two ferris wheels from Alexanderplatz, and the one I usually spot, is THIS one, and not that other one I was talking about in a previous post. Which is actually at Berlin City Hall, and NOT Spandau (and the other market mentioned, Gendarmenmarkt, is not really that one either). So, disclaimer, if you ever use my blog for directions, you will never find what I am talking about. In fact, this morning I was thinking (joking) of changing the name of the blog to lost in passage, instead of bird of passage..

Just the other day, I took a train (to IKEA) and as we were zooming above ground, I saw all these big bright lights outside the window. It was like a giant Christmas carnival of games and rides and lights and spinny things! I wanted to take a picture, but the train was pretty packed as is, and my view was framed between someone's elbow and another person's backpack. But hey, this was how I found the Alexa Winterdream Christmas Market!

The Winterdream Christmas market at Alexa is like going to the CNE/a fun fair but with Christmas music and mulled wine wafting through the air. They have the same old super dizzying rides that make you want to throw up and flashing lights and games that fool your wallet and kids with cotton candy and those haunted fun houses, but instead these are Christmas fun houses! It also boasts to have the highest Chair-O-Plane swing in the world (and you can sit DOUBLES, how cute!), and a 60m high Ferris wheel ("the world's largest mobile ferris wheel"). It was fun to just walk through this market. 

1. Follow the nutcracker to find the market.                                                                 2. Talking/singing moose.

1.Entrance to fun!                                                                                        2. signage

If you stand still you will hear sounds of "AHHHHH!!!" mixed with "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?"

barf!

1,2, Is this creepy or what. Santa, MJ

1.Santa can tell you your future.                                                      2. Do you feel like you are breaking or dancing inside?

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

This is an easy game where you are given a pole and you have to fish out a gift bag from the shelf with the end of the stick. It makes you wonder what is inside these bags when there is no way the Simpsons family could fit inside. 

1. This game would be impossible for me. You have to drop the plastic rod into the hole, and if you do, you will win whatever is sitting on the shelf: a kinect, a DS, etc. hand eye coordination ftw., 2. ring toss over champagne.

For some reason only men wanted to play this game.

1. Prince charming being charming at Snow White's deathbed                                     2. Snow White being useful in the house

Sleepy has already klonked out.

I wanted to try to eat this "snowball" thing that I've seen around in the Christmas markets so I bought a basic one (no nuts or chocolate). It's not as exciting as they look on display. It turned out to be just a giant cookie in the shape of a ball. Which, might I add, makes it stupid because how do you eat something that is in the shape of a ball? I actually felt like I was eating a snowball in pastry form, chipping away at the boring aforementioned cookie. 

Actually, this week has been quite busy and hectic. Those invisible deadlines I mentioned before are now visible, so work is busy. And I've been to IKEA twice at two different locations, and on both occasions I had to rush out of there like there's no tomorrow without being able to finish (deciding on) getting what I need. In the first trip I made, out of hastiness, I picked up a pair of slippers in a size that were too small for me. In the second trip, I was running through the aisles making turns too sharp for my shopping cart like a crazy lady so I could make it to the checkout counter and the returns counter and to my awaiting friend before closing. So, I still owe the store one more trip, but that will be after I move in and then I can assess what other furnishings I will need and find out if my bedsheets will fit. I was originally going to build some furnishings for my room, but how could I beat a 4.99 IKEA clothes rack with just raw materials?

P.S. Did you spot the Christmas Market picture that didn't belong?