‘Meet The Locals’ Archives
Azzam to Zula: Hummus in Berlin
Anne Thomas explores the nuances of Berlin’s best hummus spots, and how they function as informal peacekeepers... Image by Lara Merrington Hummus is nothing more than chickpeas, sesame paste, lemon, soda and salt. Some argue garlic is also a vital ingredient; others swear on cumin; heretics might even add coriander. The disagreements on the flavours and ingredients of "real hummus" are no different to those provoked by any popular dish, whether it’s borsch in Eastern Europe or [...]
Anika: Q&A
Natalye Childress talks to Annika Henderson (Anika) about her new album and Berlin as creative muse... Photo by Jeff Meltz It's not entirely a stretch for artists to move around within the space of the creative realm, crossing over from one medium to another, but it is somewhat rare when someone with a stable profession suddenly makes a horizontal move into the art world. Yet that is exactly what political journalist Annika Henderson did some three or four years ago, and she hasn't [...]
Photographing Berlin’s Homeless
Jack Seemer chats to Paul-Hynes Allen about his portraits of the homeless... Photographer Paul-Hynes Allen’s work has often been rooted in the concept of the outsider – the individual apart, oftentimes “the stranger”. It’s a concept that has driven him in the pursuit of artistic progress, but helped himself also to overcome the impact and scars from a turbulent past. Hailing from Croydon, south London, he first came to Berlin in 2004 after finishing his BA at Brighton [...]
The Blind Healer of Neukölln
Anne Thomas meets Norbert Albrecht, a physiotherapist, psychotherapist and all round inspirational healer... Norbert Albrecht. Photo by Lara Merrington Being blind doesn’t mean you can’t have a vision. An obvious statement perhaps, but one confirmed when I got to know Norbert Albrecht. Physiotherapist, psychotherapist, husband, father of two, grandfather of three, a friend to many and – I was to learn – an inspiration to his community, this gentle bear of a man was initially [...]
The Hidden Watchtower
Marcel Krueger meets the man who turned a GDR watchtower into a memorial for his murdered brother... „Gegen Verräter und Grenzverletzer ist die Schußwaffe anzuwenden. Es sind solche Maßnahmen zu treffen, daß Verbrecher in der 100-m-Sperrzone gestellt werden können. Beobachtungs- und Schußfeld ist in der Sperrzone zu schaffen.“ "Firearms are to be used against traitors and those attempting to violate the border. Measures should be taken with the aim of halting the criminal inside [...]
Drawshooting by Alex Bodea
John Seemer finds charm aplenty in Alex Bodea's unique 'drawshooting' technique... To call Alex Bodea another 'street artist' in Berlin would be a misnomer - though not entirely inaccurate. While most street artists today continue to vie for uncovered walls and self-directed attention, Alex Bodea seems more content with acting like a passive flâneur; unexpectant yet aware, allowing the streets of Berlin to make their mark on him. And it's there, in the randomness of the city's streets, [...]
The Wednesday Chef: My Berlin Kitchen
Luisa Weiss talks about her new book, My Berlin Kitchen, and reveals some of her favourite local foodie spots... Luisa Weiss, aka The Wednesday Chef For me, the idea of 'soul food' is connected to those specific meals, flavours and smells that extend beyond the mere pleasures of the palate to embrace memories of family and home. My own (admittedly odd) example is the combination of fried egg, cheese, mayonaise and sweet pickle relish my parents used to make for lunch on Sundays: the [...]
Happy Birthday Hilde Weström
Natalie Holmes celebrates the 100th birthday of one of Berlin's few post-war female architects... If you’ve spent even a small amount of time in Berlin, chances are you’ll have walked past one of Hilde Weström’s buildings, even if you didn't know it. One of the very few female architects of postwar Berlin, Weström helped to rebuild the city with compassionate housing that was necessarily pragmatic and avoided ostentation. Born one hundred years ago today, on 31 October, 1912, [...]
Q/A: Efterklang
Natalye Childress chats to Berlin-based experimental troupe Efterklang about their new album, Piramida... It was early 2010 when Efterklang, a Danish experimental indie rock band consisting of childhood friends Mads Brauer, Casper Clausen, and Rasmus Stolberg, received an email from a Swedish film director containing photos of a town located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. Situated in the Svalbard archipelago, 1,300 kilometers beneath the North Pole, and in a space where the [...]
Nadelwald
Grashina Gabelmann visits Berlin's co-sewing space Nadelwald... It has been fascinating to observe how the concept of DIY has spread over the last half century from the realm of home improvement to motivate an entire global network of cultural activities from fashion to music. Nadelwald - “Nadel” can mean both sewing needle and pine (either tree or needle) - is one of the latest ventures in Berlin to embody the best of the DIY trend. This small co-sewing space, based [...]
