Athens @ October 2009

Again field research at afternoon in Kolonaki in terms of understanding the local aristocracy´s attitudes during a normal week day. Surprisingly you see the persistent adherence of this folks to the many dozen cafés. Mild weather, fresh air, and hours of relaxation in café, however, that ´s how they try to bear the unbearable lightness of being.
A proved cliché  of civilization, how I am used to love it: Old men in suits and with ties, sitting in cafés and reading news papers. We know, that we need these clichés in order to remind basics of daily life´s ceremonies. Women, independent of their ages, are evidently dressed up more interesting and in an innovative way tough, no news papers, but absolute verbal communication.  And that is not a cliché.

Kolonaki must be seen!

Liveablitity score (1-5)

Sustainability:2

Sociodiversity:2

Public transport:3

Creativ Index :3

 

 

The adjacent Psiri and Gazi are not really different than Kolonaki, less shops may be. The same relaxed café culture and similar cute small streets.

Fortunately no museum.

At the evening I went with a friend for dinner to Kifissia, which is a suburb in the north of the town. A green neighborhood with a proper center and divers out-going-areas. A interesting mixture of classical architecture in resident parts, namely villas, and postmodern buildings in entertainment area, namely hotels, cinemas and restaurants. Based on informations, the real town aristocracy prefers to live here.

Athens @ October 2009

Immer wieder wird man erinnert an jenes Gestern, das unter dieser Stadt liegt.
Die Bewohner der Stadt scheinen damit aber nichts zu haben, es gibt kein antiques Gestern, nur die Gelegenheit. Athen ist nut eine Gelegenheit, eine Situation.
                                 
Kolonaki is according to the internal and external guides "the chic residential neighborhood". A labyrinth of  small streets that hugs Lykabettus Hill. External guides say that the Athenian aristocracy resides here.
What you see, is a conglomerate of "blind" architecture without any expression, embraced by trees and undermined by beautiful shops of all  European brands.
"The name Lykabettus literally means "hill of wolves" from the time when the hill was covered in pine forests and inhabited by wolves. Today the hill is inhabited by Athenian socialites and a cloak of cement apartment buildings". The socialist party won the last election, the same royal socialist family, as we know now more that 30 years, the system of consequential ruling within a family´s frame is stable.
I was walking during the late afternoon with a friend Christos trough Kolonaki to see how  nice and relaxing it could be, to sit in Cafés and watch people walking away. On the way back I tried to see as much as possible, to admire the cleanness and the shine of K.

Back at midnight (Monday night): the bar Central, supposed to be one epicenter,  is almost empty like all streets in Kolonaki, the special crowd is just somewhere else.

Athens @ October 2009

Die Stadt ist erwacht über den zweitausenjährigen Albtraum, sie ist warm, sie ist laut, sie ist erstickend, sie ist  voller Automobile. Weit entfernt von meiner Bleibe ist die Vergangenheit am Horizont am Rande der Nacht, angeleuchtet, schön und distant: ἡ ἀκρόπολις.

Dort wächst die Stadt.

Athens @ October 2009

Am Ende der Reise über München ist Athen nur Müdigkeit und Sehensucht nach Träumen.

Athens @ October 2009

At the beginning Athens is merely an allusion.

San Francisco @ October 2009

Liveablitity score (1-5)

Sustainability: 4

Sociodiversity:5

Public transport: 4

Creativ Index : 5

The very "traditional"  SF architecture

Europe + Americas

Just what we know well

Delirious night sky in SF

A day in the urban valley

San Diego @ October 09

Trough actual Manovich projects in Visual Arts Department at University of California San Diego (www.manovich.net AND http://lab.softwarestudies.com/) in his lab, consider his texts on new media and design in the East.

Liveablitity score (1-5)

Sustainability: 4

Sociodiversity: 4

Public transport: 3

Creativ Index :3

A very nice and highly productive dinner with Lev in Tower 23.

San Diego @ October 09
Exploring the campus of University of California San Diego in La Jolla / San Diego remains like a walking trough strange dreams of someone else. A huge campus on hills, lost in the absolute greenness, in which almost all teaching buildings are embedded, with a large window to the ocean, unbelievable. There is no secret thing anymore, why studying in a place like this must be a pleasure and more than this.




The architecture is obviously dedicated to the goals of a contemporary teaching "Anstalt": wide green surfaces, wich contain open spaces in monotone gray (namely buildings), dominated by dynamic screens and images. A kingdom of images.
In 25 minutes I will have a talk in visual art department on imaging machines, bodies and the world, it may not be really a big surprise for these kids here, they are living among images yet.

San Diego @ October 09

Hier ist das "Beste" aus California dreams kondensiert.
Die absolute Reinheit der Orte, die einmalige Zusammenkunft mariner Schalgkraft, endlose Strände mit Surfern am frühen Morgen, Mexicaner, die keine sind und La Jolla.

San Francisco @ October 2009

Das Schöne ist unter dem Sonnenschein noch besser zu sehen, die asiatische Enklave am westlichen Rande der Paszifik ist bei 16 Grad-Sonne wunderbar.
Der Wind weht vom Meer aus in die engen Räume vom Down Town von SF ungnädig, ma muss manchmal stehen bleiben, bis er ruhiger wird.

Ein Moment weilen am Ufer des grossen Ozeans , der Wind nimmt einem den ohnehin kurzen Atem und später wird man sich an ihn nicht erinnern. Dieser Ozean hat wirklich nichts zu vergleichen mit Mar Caribe, mit jenem enigmatischen Stück Vergessen. Man assoziert fast nichts mit Paszifik, kein Stück Literatur, keine Bilder hinter dem Auge, kein sound, nur eine unvermeidbare Dissimulation.

San Francisco @ October 2009

Vorerst ist San Francisco nur eine Briese.

Lublajana @ September 09

Das posthistorische Reservat Lublijana ist schön, sauber, österreischich und maximal langatmig: Disneyland miniaturisiert auf die Maße Europas.

Venice @ September 09

Die Biennale verkörpert die Substanz der kontinentalen Anstregungen, auf dem Mark dabei zu sein. Es gelingt.