CERN and the beginnings of the Internet

"CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is where it all began in March 1989. A physicist, Tim Berners-Lee, wrote a proposal for information management showing how information could be transferred easily over the Internet by using hypertext, the now familiar point-and-click system of navigating through information. The following year, Robert Cailliau, a systems engineer, joined in and soon became its number one advocate." - http://info.cern.ch/

On our trip to CERN we not only toured the large hadron particle collider (in 2008 they will attempt, through colliding protons at high speeds, to reproduce the conditions moments after the big bang), we were also toured around the birthplace of the internet by Robert Cailliau, Berners-Lee's collaborator on the project. He also spoke to us and with us at length. Truly an honor. This is a photo of Cailliau and me, in front of the office where it all began:


At the L4, future geniuses are at work in the Ai program's well-equipped lab (Hi Ashley Wood!)


Thanks to Robert Jamison for the photos.

Weekend in Geneva

One of our organized weekends (actually, 5 days) was a trip to Geneva, which included side trips to CERN, the Niepce House (he invented photography, and the United Nations. I only had my camera with me one one outing so the only photos you'll see are of the Niepce Museum trip. He's the man who in 1822 invented photography and we stood in the actual room and looked onto the landscape of the first known photograph. The house is in a miniscule town called St Loup de Varennes, in the Burgundy region of France. Niepce was an inventor in general, and another one of his inventions was the velocipede, demonstrated below by our own Ryan Wenner:

The house:

The plaque at the end of the lane, facing the train tracks:

Afterward we visited a beautiful Burgundian town, and though this was NOT the focus of the trip, it made good photos. Chalon sur Saone:



At CERN we were blown away by a tour of the massive super colliders, one of which will, in 2008, recreate the conditions a moment after the big bang, by colliding protons at high speeds in a 27 KM ring. More on that in another post.

Weekend in Venice

Students and professors get a couple of long weekends free to travel during the program. The first weekend I decided to see the biennale in Venice. This was my second time there and still my breath is taken away by the incredible beauty of the city and all of its surprises. I realize how lucky I am to be able to even contemplate visiting on a regular basis. Anyway, wouldn't you like to see some pictures. My hotel room, though it is not what you'd imagine it to be in a 16th century villa, is clean and quiet (means: simple and looks at another building) (but cheap). But the villa faces a square and the church you see is S. Geremia e Lucia. There was a Mercado in the door to the right on Saturday night, where the ladies of the church had knitted and crocheted items for sale to raise money for missions. So sorry, I didn't find anything I could use, but it was like home:

This is a photo of the canal to the left of the church, and the street that leads further into town:


The neighborhood, near the train station, is called Canareggio. After dinner at a trattoria the second night I happened upon a neighborhood celebration in a square like the one I am staying on. There was a local band playing: about 10 local artists playing brass and percussion, and vocals. Kids piled up on the fountain, men passed the grappa, everyone swayed, danced and clapped... they let me participate and I had a great time. Traveling by myself can be lonely/boring but there's usually something going on if I look long enough.

The Biennale at the Giardini was more interesting than the Arsenale (which gave me a headache; it reminded me of a web site - I could have gotten the same thing on a web site and skipped the long walk) and here are some photos from the American Pavilion. The artist is Felix Gonzalez Torres. People who come to the exhibit are invited to take a poster or a piece of candy to participate in the installation; however mostly what I saw was they rushed in, did not contemplate what was going on, grabbed as many posters as they could, grabbed HANDFULS of candy, and left. Probably I'm being cynical. No doubt. Read about FGT online. Photos:


Gonzalez-Torres' work has been interpreted as being about AIDS (he died of AIDS in the 1996) and the lightbulbs slowly going out have been seen as a metaphor for dying.


My friend Chingiz Babayev of Azerbaijan was in the Biennale this year but his exhibition had closed before I could see it. He sent me this photo. Hi Chingiz! It looks great! This is a very large carpet made out of fruit and vegetables and other things.

I also thought the three video installations in the Central Asian Exhibition were very good.

Meeting up with my friend Jürgen Faust and his wife Tanja were really what made the trip perfect. They drove from Munich across the Alps through a snowstorm to spend Sunday in Venice. While Tanja visited the Biennale Jürgen and I had a chance to catch up.

Here is a final photo, on the way to the train:

Radfahr from Wannsee to Potsdam

As athletic and robust as I think I am, today totally wiped me out, in a good way. I met my friend Sidra Stich at the American Academy in Wannsee, where she gave me an enlightening tour of the house and grounds. It's on the Wannsee, overlooking a long lawn and a harbor filled with sailboats belonging to nearby American expats. The house itself was beautifully updated by the Nazis, with gold leaf tile mosaic, secessionist grilles, etc. Owned by the Academy for the past 10 years, it houses 8 or so scholars at a time in fair luxury and enables them to progress in their research. Sidra is going to invite me to her presentation in December, and I can hardly wait.

So, we go down to the boat house to retrieve the bikes, a couple of vintage-types with a bit of cob webs, but no matter. Mine was a one-speeder (from the 60s?) whose tires we pumped up and !ready to go! we were off to the Pfauen Insel, or Peacock Island, a retreat for Willhelm II and his friends. The ferry runs regularly only till the 30th, so we wanted to be sure to see the island before then. It was a foggy day but we spent more than an hour walking the island and inspecting the wildlife (including a couple of tame foxes who nonchalantly walked right by us a couple of times) and the fantasy structures built as was the fashion in the 19th century to invoke the sense of far away places such as - a ridiculously fake looking crenellated castle, and a mini-greek temple. The trees were for the most part mature, remaining apparently untouched by the last war and its aftermath that decimated other local forests.

I was hungry, so we ate lunch at the shoreline restaurant. The Tages Angebote was Schweinhaxe, Kartoffeln and Kraut. I washed it down with a Gluhwein. Sidra only had the wine... I don't know how she made it through the rest of the day on only that because we were off again this time to Potsdam. I mentioned that my bike was a single speeder with fat tires so that you'll understand my legs ached at this point already. The fog settling on the Wannsee, the imposing forest, the wide paths and the orange carpet of leaves made me forget my quads for a while. Sorry no photos. Presently we came to the Potsdam Brucke, and we crossed into the town.

Our destination was Sans Souci Park and buildings built in the 18th century by Friedrich der Grosse. The enormous formal gardens are carefully populated by various structures... the well-touristed Schloss Sans Souci, a giant windmill, a Dragonhouse, a Chinese house, a Roman bath... you get the picture. What we were totally unprepared for, because the photo on the postcard is so small, was the Neue Schloss on the west end of the park. It was entirely gigantic and constructed of rose-colored brick with full-height statuary crowning each floor as it went up. Gold leaf details crowned the sculptures at intervals. The ediface, I said was enormous, but this word doesn't describe it adequately. I've never seen anything like it. Facing the Neue Schloss are two matching buildings with limestone collinades and copper domes that the map calls "liegenden Communs."

I would have liked to show photos, but I didn't bring my camera. Google the topic, it's worth it. And when you visit Berlin, don't miss San Souci.

Weekend in Alsace

Last Friday we all took a plane to Baden-Baden, for a weekend exploring Alsace. The 6 am flight left us all a bit groggy for the first event, a visit to Rastatt and the Visus Media studios, where we were hosted by Matthias Weyrauch. After a lovely lunch, Tristan gave us a presentation about the studio's work, then a photoshoot, then we were off to the races at Iffezheim. Few were prepared for how fun that was... thanks Matthias for the treat! Here are some photos.

I lost a lot of money on this race (5 euro)

Taking a lap after the race

Matthias' intern; Isabelle, our SIU Coordinator for the trip; Rob J; and Matthias

After the races we warmed up in the bus (it was pretty chilly there, even with Gluhwein, Wurstel and Linsensuppe), we drove off to Strasbourg. Imagine our disappointment when we saw where we were staying (view from my window):

Chateau Pourtales was built in the 18th century as a hunting lodge and soon after expanded to its current proportions. Its famous (repeated) guests included Albert Schweitzer, Friedrich Schiller, and Franz Liszt. There's also a ghost. Its extensive grounds are filled with footpaths that are used by townspeople and students; and they are lined with site-specific contemporary sculpture. Nearby-very near- is a Radfahrweg (bike trail) that winds through three countries, from Frankfurt to Basel.

At this point my camera stopped taking photos. Until we went on a sidetrip to Colmar, which was picturesque enough. Here are photos, without commentary:





Matthias Grunewald's Isenheim Alterpiece:

My camera is in bad shape, or maybe it's the memory card. I don't have shots of the wineries or the wine tastings. Also I don't have any from Strasbourg, although it is of course almost as amazing to a tourist as Colmar. The Cathedral especially. I bought boots at Galleries Lafayette - and they're not practical either. Also I paid retail.

Maybe the highlight of the trip - if you could imagine anything topping those scenes from Colmar - was the bonfire and "BBQ" hosted by Isabelle and Willi at the Chateau. Around 2 big campfires were 26 leisure chairs, and a big grill area out of which would come the most heavenly food - fish, then chicken, then a variety of local sausages, accompanied by seven or eight sauces, salads, breads, and your choice of Alsatian wines and beers. One student declared it her favorite night of the entire Ai Study Abroad program so far. Probably not an exaggeration!

Special thanks to Isabelle and Willi for the fabulous time in Strasbourg and at the Chateau.

Schlactensee photos

It was a week ago now that I took another run around the Schlactensee. It was around 70 degrees and heavenly... but I took no camera. So I returned on Thursday when it was cloudy and cold, but took some shots while the trees were still turning. I'll try again this week.

red ducks? they must be ducks



this is a storefront in the town

Weissensee

Yesterday offered a glorious, warm, clear afternoon to seek out another nearby lake for a walk-around. Not far from the L4 where we have our digital studies is the town of Weissensee. My guidebook said I'd find some impressive house architecture and the old jewish cemetery, but I'd not taken the book along so I'd be freed up for a run. So instead, as usual, I wandered around and saw normal things and missed the attractions. Can go back!


This plaque reads:
"The inheritance of fascism was rubbish and ruin.
This park comes into being through the volunteer work of the national construction workers
A work of peace"

The past weekend was chock full of art events. On Saturday, L4 hosted “So Klingt Berlin,” a weekend-long symposium on music marketing that culminated in a band competition at a local club on Sunday night. A fabulous time was had by all students and instructors who took part THANKS INGRID AND ALL STUDENTS AT L4.

At TAKT Gallery, Marcus Ahlers, Antje Görtner and Henriette Böhmert-Leske were our hosts for an exhibition of work by Jürgen Grewe, a painter whose work you can check out his his site.

Sidra Strich, my art friend from the Berlin Academy, and Carla Guagliardi, an installation artist who lives in Prenzlauerberg met me for a gallery tour. They chose the galleries, and the high point was Mike Kelly’s Kandor .

Schlactensee

Yesterday I took the train to Schlactensee, a small town just outside of Wannsee, to the west of Berlin. There is a beautiful lake there (the Schlactensee) surrounded by a forest (the Grünewald) and the train left me off within sight of each. So since I was dressed for a run, with my water jar on a belt, I started off clockwise around the See... first stopping to warm up where a man on a motorbike shouted "Lass der Baum stehen!" when I pressed against a tree to stretch my calves... then I ran along the street a bit to get a look at the architecture, big turn-of-the-century houses with flowerboxes cascading form each window. Not Bavarian, but solid and impressive by size and workmanship.

Around the See, there were pine trees, leaf trees just starting to change and shed, and dogs, kids, older couples walking hand in hand. The dogs are all VERY well behaved. All of them. They don't even use leashes here. The dogs heel and walk along with their masters, ignoring me!!! The kids sprawl out under trees to eat some snack, and the adults gather at the cafe to the north of the lake, where all sorts of wonderful refreshments are sold in the most exquisite surroundings.

It reminded me of my parents, walking on paths through the woods. Ducks. Geese. Swamp and beach. Mom and dad are there in my imagination.

I had no idea how far it was around the lake, but luckily for me it was only about 4 miles. Afterwards, I took a leisurely walk through town and then hopped the train back to Berlin. Magic.

I wish I had photos! Next time I go, the trees will be colorful and I'll take pictures.

Dresden

About 200 kM in the direction of (and halfway to) Prague is Dresden, the city that was largely destroyed by Allied firebombing during WWII. Marion (one of our German organizers) also said that during the cold war it was the only place in east Germany that you could not get radio or television from the west. Such suffering is not apparent in a three-hour day trip to a city that has plenty of rebuilt monuments in its old center. In addition to wandering the streets and for me, one museum, we had a splendid lunch at Luisenhof, on a mountain overlooking the city; and a tour of the VW Gläserne Manufaktur, where they hand-build the Phaeton, VW's luxury model. The late day was capped off with dinner at a brew pub where exhausted students quaffed major amounts of beer...

Lunch was really too good for us. We are learning NOT to scrape our chairs!

Ashley out in the garden

Shanda taking a break from lunch

Buildings in Dresden - fine

Want to go to an art school in Dresden? This is their Art Academy

For my mom, a statue of Martin Luther (hi Mom)

VW Gläserne Manufactur

VW GM Inside - Phaetons start at 69K euro and go up to 179K... sorry you can't get them in the US! Also, they don't come with manual transmission...

Reunification Day

Wednesday was such a wonderful day. I drew for a while, ripped that up, then went for a long run: between the "wall" and the Spree, then through town and small community gardens, finally to the Museum Insel, where there were lines and lines of flea markets. There were plenty of Russian tschotschkes - the nested dolls, cheap amber - a lot of books, WWII and DDR memorabilia, gorgeous handmade hats and cloth bags, antique dishware... altogether something to revisit. Along the way, I heard and saw traditional chinese musicians, irish fiddlers, classical duos, every kind of eating...

Later, after a lunch of fresh vegetables and exquisite leftovers from the night before, I worked a bit on my next day's class. Then, I took another walk downtown for the Reunification Day celebration. I walked through the Tiergarten, up Unter den Linden, through the Holocaust memorial, to the Brandenburger Tor where someone was bungie jumping and someone else (presumably a rock star) was belting it out on the big screen.

Bismarck Memorial

Boulevard 17 Juni (looking through the Tiergarten away from Brandenburger Tor)

Bungie guy goes up...

Bungie guy comes down.

Holocaust memorial

Jumped on the S bahn to Sevigny Platz in Charlottenburg, where I met Sidra Strich, an art historian who is a Berlin Academy fellow in Wansee until January. We ate at a really good Chinese restaurant, talk talk talked and agreed to go to Dresden together on Saturday. (turns out, the group is going to Dresden tomorrow, and she can't go along).

First Day of Classes +

Yesterday I went over to the gym "Fitness Center" with some students and signed myself up for a membership. On Monday, Stef had negotiated with the man behind the counter for students to receive a specially priced deal on membership - and I wanted to make sure to get it! The gym is on the 3rd floor (four flights up) of a courtyard building. THe main room is filled with machines and weights, stretching mats, etc. All of the guys are hot. Up a winding staircase are two tanning booths (one for strong, one for light), the locker and shower rooms (very nice), the yoga/pilates/step/etc studio (big, lined with mirrors and a beautiful view of Friedrichshain) and a sauna that is adjacent to a beautiful serpentine tile-walled shower and a spa-style relaxation room. The sauna is women only for some hours on tuesdays, otherwise for both sexes.

You're probably wondering what the view is out the window of my room:

Two shots of the school, yes it's the Nouveau building:


This is a view across the street from the school:

The school is about a 15-minute strassenbahn ride away. Yesterday was the first day for the animation class; everything went smoothly except the projector took some getting used to: it projected an image seemingly 10 feet tall and 15 feet wide! I'm not good with sizes so I may be off by some. The windows in the room are double-insulated, and both sets swing in with handles. I'll take photos next time I go.

The special topics class client is Marcus Ahlers of Takt Gallery. He also runs a residency program. That's where artists come to make art for a certain amount of time, and the host provides housing and whatever other agreed-upon necessities. We're looking forward to his gallery tour, which will take place next Thursday.