Nov 21, 2009 -
When the Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago last week, East and West Germany had to integrate two very different cultures. Freedom may have spread quickly through the East, but nudity — the East's favorite and perhaps only freedom — never caught on in the West.
Freikörperkultur (FKK), or liberal body culture, was really the only way to rebel in the East, where the most quotidian details of people's lives were observed by the Stasi, East Germany's secret police.
- 8 Comments
Nov 06, 2009 -
Life may be better since the fall of the Berlin Wall, but is sex? It was at first. Prostitutes came in vans, porn was everywhere, and sex shops opened like wine bars in a gentrifying neighborhood.
- 4 Comments
Oct 24, 2009 -
I don't want to say too much about this lingerie ad running in Germany because I fear it could give away the effect. But I'll tell you this: it definitely makes the point that anyone can have the desire to feel sexy. Check it out and tell me if you think it is powerful or problematic.
- 17 Comments
Oct 06, 2009 -
More than one million people gathered in Berlin last weekend to view giant puppets at the city's historical sites. The moving exhibit, put on by artists and technicians from the French troupe Royal de Luxe, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The "big giant" was from West Berlin, while the "little giant" was imagined to be his niece from East Berlin.
- 2 Comments
Sep 09, 2009 -
You'd expect nothing less than inspired décor from an artist, designer, and art director, and that's exactly what you see in Mike Meiré's early 20th-century Cologne apartment. On top of beautiful architectural bones, Meiré has used his German home as a canvas to showcase his contemporary art collection, including work by Rita Ackermann, Lutz Fezer, and Damien Hirst. Pop art brings in color throughout, and iconic designs by famous names (Jasper Morrison, Eero Saarinen, Piero Lissoni) give the place a sense of idolism.
- 1 Comment
Sep 08, 2009 -
Did you just lose your lunch looking at this ad? I almost did when I first saw it. The creators of the nightmarish German AIDS awareness ad say that they "knew the face we gave to the illness could not be a pretty one" — and what's uglier than having sex with Adolf Hitler?
- 20 Comments
Jul 14, 2009 -
What's old and alone is new and accompanied again when you throw Berlin-based furniture maker schubLaden (meaning "drawers") into the mix. The innovator creates one-of-a-kind storage pieces using vintage, unmatched drawers. Pieces range from small landing strips for around $720 to large consoles and office storage for around $4,000.
- 3 Comments
Jul 14, 2009 -
With nary a hill, Berlin is a great city to ride a bike in and with legalized prostitution, it's also a great place to ride a . . .
- 3 Comments
Jun 22, 2009 -
Former soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev kisses former communist East German leader Erich Honecker on a surviving portion of the Berlin Wall. Artists have been asked to redo their works on the East Side Gallery as part of a restoration effort before the country marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this November.
- 2 Comments