16. Germany

Nuaced through history

Maybe the Germans are the people who face the most prejudices around Europe. German in the recent history had spread most of these opinions, and the need for others to use them, themselves. During the last 50, 60 years other nations kept these opinions alive. Peoples' mind and languages have absorbed this opinion. Meanwhile the German themselves have tried to find a response to what they have been themselves in the past. So what is the conclusion of this subjective experience? Although people all around do think they have some communal knowledge, it are Germans who have gained the most contemporary knowledge about the recent history.
I didn't say they are more smart, it's just there is discussion, there is consciousness, there is a more active mind towards the current situation. More active then what? More active then almost all other European countries we have visited so far. More active then at home.
During the last years we have traveled Germany many times but specially this year we have traveled with main objectives. We checked the art scene to see how does this related to ours? We have seen the demonstration against the policy that makes life tougher for average and poor people. It seems in Germany more people have the will to demonstrate. While in Holland one big meeting was organized, in Germany, in dozens of cities every Monday demonstrators came together for month.
We saw hundreds and hundreds of windmills. Pretty odd for Dutch people, known for windmills but it is relatively hard to trace them in Netherlands.
We had some practical objectives, Pentiment, Tacheles, Womex, SOAHC, 48 Stunden. In order to find nuances and opinion based on true information, as traveling is able to offer we have skipped any relation with football, we avoided any conversation based on television information and we have used the language as good as possible. Goethe wouldn't have liked it otherwise. Although he did not become the greatest German of all times, at least he made it due to genuine quality work, in stead of an PR campagne, as with the highest ranked writer in the Netherlands.
The social study we do is related to melancholy. Maybe because we have seen so much, specially in eastern Europe. Melancholy is longing to the good things from the past. But as we have noticed, often these people have a strange form of melancholy. The desire to the past is not so strong. There is just an extreme lack of possibilities to think about future.
So melancholy is not so strong in the city. We visited Berlin several times. The cities still develops, and always gives you a temporary image. A city, otherwise like Amsterdam or Paris, that adepts on new people and events. An open experience.
We have also visited Hamburg to see the city with the great lake and it must be said, it was a big friendly visit.
We went to see Werner Tubke's painting in the Panorama museum in Bad Frankenhausen and passed the old small cities that have survived modernization, because at the times of this modernization decision making these cities were in a country that couldn't keep up with the modernization that later seemed partly useless. And now these unchanged cities are very attractive for tourists and people who want to leave the cold place called home for just too long time.
So, since we are subjective, and thinking about the exact text of the country report about Netherlands, our home country, we have related this complete country report of Germany with the perspective and being the bigger brother of Netherlands. And since Netherlands is a little confused, without self-confidence and in need of good advise, why not check out Germany?

Meanwhile in 2009 we started a serious new selection of the mobile global exhibition Show Your Hope. A selection called the world in Berlin. Updates via our newsletter.

See some impressions we had throughout the years

	Name : Pentiment Summer Academy, Hamburg Objectives : MGE exhibition Here you see Rik van Iersel and Harrie Gerritz inside the work of their partner Eu Nim Ro. In relation with 80 questions : MGE exhibition and Pentiment
	Name : Brandenburger Tor, Berlin Objectives : investigate possibilities In relation with 80 questions : Tacheles friends visited at the egde of recent history
	Name : Berlin Objectives : Tacheles relation with 80 Questions : finding our livingspace for some days. Tacheles is a huge squathouse where artists started upgrading this neighborhood. Now it is in a difficult situation since city devoloppers would like to get the best pieces for the chepeast price, while meanwhile individuals have ben taking care of themselves.
	Name : 48 Stunden NeuKoelln Objectives : presentation kilometer : approx 312.000 Great exhibition with funny short presentations and interested audience. The election results were excellent. Related link: Coaching Culture Gallery Related link: 48 Stunden
	Name : Panorama Museum Bad Frankenhausen Objectives : see good art Werner Tubke made this 1500 square meter painting about the farmer war in 15 24 (or something like that). Marvelous skills and quality in this huge painting.
	Name : East Germany Objectives : check nostalgia Relation with 80 Questions :
	Name : The World in Berlin Objectives : creating an internation selection with Berlin based artists kilometer : starting on 300.000 Related link : Sam Gregorian
	Name : The World in Berlin Objectives : presenting an internation selection with Berlin based artists Related link : Tacheles Internal link:
	Name : Womex Objectives : music contacts

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