Kunst-Werke Berlin

I went to the Kunst-Werke Berlin today, as per the guidebook's suggestion, and it did not disappoint. I should also note that down the street, before the gallery, I stopped at Dada Falafel: a tiny place, with two people working and a line out the very short distance to the door. The light fixture was a series of tangled tubes leading to a bouquet of exposed incandescence. I almost left, because of the line, but then remembered that the best places are those with long lines and slow service. It was the best falafel I have ever had, again.

I knew I was getting close to the contemporary art gallery when I saw Warholian bananas graffitied on the walls (picture forthcoming, I left my camera's cable at home). The gallery had plenty of good spots, but the all-time highlight (for me) was a film Two times 4'33". Most art gallery films just invite walking in and out at will--slightly counter-productive to the slow development in most of them. This one, however, played four times an hour and the audience(?) was asked to wait until the next showing before entering, although some people did leave part way through.

For anyone unfamiliar with the seminal work by John Cage, 4'33" is a piece consisting of three movements; the total time of the movements comes to 4'33". Also, the piece is just a series of bars of rests. No notes. Really, nothing at all. There is always someone in the audience who doesn't know the piece, probably someone who came for the Schubert in the first half, and while the music nerds in the crowd start laughing these Schubert-lovers get increasingly aggravated. Even (in the age of Google) when everyone actually knows what is up, it's still nearly five minutes (there are short pauses between movements) of sitting in complete silence with total strangers. So, this film recorded two performances, one focused entirely on the pianist and the next (once the audience in the film knew what was up) panning around the stoic/napping crowd, eventually settling on the trees outside. The first part (it was in surround sound, ironically) was incredible, though. You hear the cars going by outside, the wind blowing, the pianist turning each page as the rests go by. Anyway, I want to perform this sometime. Preferably at Wulapalooza, Willamette's huge music and art festival.

Really, I'll get around to talking about this English-language bookshop, Another Planet, also known as the Kreutzberg Kulture (kult-URE) Klub. I think I'm going to go back there after the concert; they're showing Apocalypse Now in the basement (the fantasy cellar, because it has all sci-fi and fantasy, explain later). I'm seeing Pierre Boulez conduct tonight, and I'm not sure whether to bring my sound recorder. Not to record the concert, but just because I like to carry it around. Once in a while someone will break out a harmonica in a quiet spot outside a cafe and I won't have it, then I'll kick myself. So many sounds missed out on.