here & now » health

PARADISE IS NEAR

tw — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:52:49 +0000

Very much looking forward to escaping the cold, grey and rainy Berlin weather at least for one day tomorrow, leaving all the hectic city life behind me – and to get a glimpse of paradise in the ‘Temple of Relaxation’, Berlin’s Liquidrom!

Thermal bath Liquidrom
Möckernstrasse 10
10963 Berlin

LESS RISK, MORE FUN

fr — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:41:01 +0000

Today, quite a few people in Berlin gathered to make a strong statement against governmental plans, or deals, to extend nuclear-powerstations’ lifespans.

So, Angie, keep in mind for whom you do the job and who ensures yours. Shut those dirty oldies down. Especially interesting: in 2005, no 7% of the world’s energy consumption were produced by nuclear power. Today we are talking about a mere 14% whilst France ranks as the chipleader here. These numbers are questioning if the discussion about alternatives is really being taken seriously whereas the risks – that are for real make it quite clear that this is not a game for short-term thinking.

CREATIVE CRISIS

rh — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:38:10 +0000

Remember Downtown 81? Well, it looks like Basquiat’s love interest from that movie, former fashion model Anna Schroeder, isn’t doing too well these days…

BLASTOMAT AT MMX

ja — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:33:17 +0000

Tonight in Berlin, our friends at the temporary D.I.Y art space MMX are celebrating the launch of their second exhibition. MMX is a trashed-out house in Linienstraße which has been roughly renovated to house several white-walled exhibition rooms. A lively crowd can normally be found wandering about the space on Friday nights, drinking cheap beer and enjoying the underground aesthetics. Curator Rebecca Loyche has been busy turning down requests from well-established artists in favour of emerging and challenging new talent.

The new exhibition includes a nine-channel video installation by Constantin Hartenstein, a video sculpture by Florian Gwinner, drawings and paintings by Veronika Schumacher and Francisco Montoya. Installationists Mikko Gaestel and Rasso Hilber will present their Blastomat, a unique take on the Berlin institution that is the photomat (pictured above).

Meanwhile, the frighteningly bright light therapy room will be retained for a few more weeks, for anyone who hasn’t had the chance to visit it yet. Powered by several large light therapy lamps, the brilliant white room (pictured below) offers a soothing relief from the dark grey skies of the miserable winter.

MMX – Open Art Venue
Linienstrasse 142/143, Berlin Mitte
Show II Vernisage: March 12, 19.00-22.00
Regular hours: Wed 12-22, Thur-Fri 12-18, Sat-Sun 12-19

COLD TURKEY – AN INVITATION

tw — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:26:55 +0000

From April 1st to 30th, 2010 a drug detox residency will be offered by Hotel Marienbad at KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin. Artists, curators, critics and all those professionally related to the arts are invited to apply. The Hotel Marienbad suite offers a confidential retreat secluded from the public eye. Your drug detox will take place under therapeutic guidance and medical care. Privacy and anonymity will be respected throughout the entire process. Medical and therapeutic care provided by Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Havelhöhe, Berlin. Please apply until to March 28th, 2010 at contact@hotelmarienbad.com. All correspondence will remain confidential.

A project by Benjamin Blanke and Claudia Kapp.

KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Hotel Marienbad, Auguststr. 69, D-10117 Berlin

FEELING SAD?

kvr — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:33:53 +0000

This winter might be the hardest and longest I’ve ever experienced in Berlin – I’ve also been feeling particularly tired for the past couple of months, wondering whether it’s the continuous cold draining energy from the reserves… But it turns out it’s all due to the lack of sunlight, apparently, which has a direct relation to your levels of Serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for your over-all mood. It can even lead to the appropriately named SAD syndrome – the Seasonal Affective Disorder. Apart from investing in ludicrously expensive special lights, I still haven’t found a reasonable answer to what one can do about it, but particularly helpful was one blog’s suggestion to make sure to get some sunlight every day… You don’t live in Berlin, we assume.

Photography by kvr