Berlin, Germany

Berlin held very high expectations from me since the beginning. After Amsterdam, we arrived late at night in a very cold and windy Berlin. In order to not waste precious time, we decided to take a stroll around Postdamer Platz, a public square in the center of Berlin, and we stumbled upon the Sony Center Forum.

Next to it was the Institute of Film and Video. The complex includes many shops, restaurants, a hotel, offices, cinemas and more. All the buildings stand underneath one textile and glass roof covering a public space at the center.

The next morning, we went to Gendarmenmarkt to visit the French Cathedral, Konzerthaus and Neue Kirche. A self-guided tour in the 18th century Neue Kirche allowed us to take a peek inside the parliamentary democracy of the Bundestag.

In the evening, we walked south to see Checkpoint Charlie, an important landmark of a crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. Then, we travelled towards the Tiergarden to see the famous Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag Building and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Walking through the Memorial was an interesting experience. According to Peter Eisenman, who designed the project, the stelae are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

Located in the South of the city, the Jewish museum holds impressive designed spaces envelopping its visitors in a confusing ambiance. The point is to create discomfort and portray the helplessness of the Holocaust;s victims and the dark moments in the Jewish history.

Berlin truly holds an important message about what happened during the atrocities of both World Wars and the Cold War. It is also a bustling center for culture and art in Europe through its many galleries and museums.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Charming Amsterdam was quite a surprise for me (the high prices were the bad surprise, the lovely canals were the good surprise). It seems to be a town where everything is shrinked: the streets are tight, which explain why most people use bikes to commute around, and, the buildings are quite narrow as well. The small scale makes the city more cosy, in a way, and, easy to walk through it.

The first day we walked to the city center to see Dam Square with the National monument and the Royal Palace. Strolling around the many canals we stumbled upon the Bloemenmarket, a huge flower market. Next on our list was to go up North and visit Saint-Nicolas church, Heineken brewery, Central stations and the Eye museum.

In the South part of the city, the Museum Quartier reveals many great institutions like the Rikjmuseum, Van Gogh museum and Moco. To take a break after a long day of walking, I stopped at Vondelpark just before the sunset.

At night time, the most famous part of the city lights up in red neons. Walking through the Red light district, cafés (not coffee shop) advertise their many brands of weed and marijuana-derived products. Of course, the main attraction were these windows revealing prostitutes in lingeries. Although I never understood the hype behind this, I still don’t get why prostitution is actually a touristic attraction. Crowds of tourists watching sexualized girls as if it was a casual thing kind of blew my mind. But that’s my own opinion.

We decided to spend the last day at Zaanse Schans, a Dutch town in the North of Amsterdam. This rural neighbourhood is famous for its historic windmills and distinctive green wooden houses. Small shops sell cheese, chocolate and many souvenirs for tourists. This last stop in the Netherlands was a nice break from our hectic travelling schedule, before hoping to the next destination.

Brussels, Belgium

Our first destination of our Eurotrip was Brussels. It felt strangely like home to me because of the familiarity of the French language, maybe. The city seems to be full of young people hanging out in plazas at night while others prefer to mingle in the multiple bars of the city center. When looking at the cityscape, you notice the random façades and roofs on a same street. It seems a bit chaotic, but everything fits together somehow.

We were lucky to have such a comfortable and very hygge room in a quiet neighbourhood of St-Gilles. I spent my first day strolling around la Grande Place, galeries St-Hubert and so on. We ended up at Kanal Centre Pompidou, an art and cultural institution in the North of the city. This former Citröen garage host many exhibitions mixing visual arts, medias, architecture, large-scale installations, etc. The space, by itself, was quite fascinating to look at, where every structural elements is visible.

Another great art venue we visited was Wiels. It showcases exhibitions from contemporary artists from all over the world. The building was a former brewery converted into the present modernist industrial art center.

We spent the next day visiting the Hotel de ville, St-Michel and St-Gudula church, Palais royal and all the touristic spots. When we started to feel hungry, we decided that mussels and fries would be the perfect option. And so, we sat down at Chez Léon for a Pils beer, garlic mussels and some fries to share. The service wasn’t so great, but the food forgave the lack of hospitality.

The Royal Galeries St-Hubert is a good place to find gifts. Walking underneath these glazed arcades, a long perspective with a repetition of arches, pilasters and windows appeals to our eyes. A serie of notable chocolate shops, as Neuhauser and Mary, handmade dentelle stores, tea salons invite passerbys inside.

At the end of the day, we watched the sunset at Mont-des-Arts after a stroll around Parc de Bruxelles. During our whole stay in Brussels, the March weather was very nice and sunny. We enjoyed how people appreciate the cultural and gastronomical focus of the city. Even though it was so short, we will definitely come back for more.

The Refugee and the Role of Art

The Refugee

Today, Europe and North America are sinking into crisis. Both continents are no longer able or want to accommodate millions of refugees because of its own internal conflicts. Immigration, refugees and racial issues are part of an important debate. People are creating deeper boundaries between them because of ethnicity, religion, cultures and beliefs. We constantly question our identity as a human race. To which group do we belong to and identify with? What if there’s none?

The focus is set on the journey from refugees’ persecutions in their home countries to camps. The hardest challenge is going through the process of being legally recognized as a political refugee or asylum seeker. This is the most mediatized part, ironically, creating a gap between our societies and the refugees. People turn a blind eye on the crisis because they feel disconnected from that reality. When in fact, there’s not really an us versus them. In case of persecutions or natural disasters, we would most probably do the same: to abandon our homes and risk our family’s and our own life to find a safer place to live no matter what could be the cost.

This crisis can be a daunting, disheartening, and confusing sequence of events to understand. People define themselves based on different factors, such as education, values, occupation, economic status, and religious affiliation. Having to flee the communities in which they were raised, refugees have to change many of these elements to acculturate into new societies. To turn from an individual with a recognised name, career, family ties and community connections, into the category of the “refugee” or the “immigrant” is unsettling. There’s a feeling of displacement, dissolution and non-belonging. After being uprooted, it is difficult to find that place of inclusion or acceptance.

The experience of being a refugee is one’s of invisibility, anonymity, lost of anchors, of home, of their identity, being unwanted, vulnerability and the hope or lost of hope. The reality of refugee camps is the removal of human basic rights.

The Role of Art

The insight and awareness created when viewers interact with the refugee experience in artistic spaces are important precisely because they have the power to shift political attitudes and preconceived mentalities, which are based solely on medias and stereotypes.

It shows the audience facets and aspects of the refugee’s experience in more than statistics and facts. To understand the crisis, the stories are crucial elements. It has the power to connect people in deeper levels than logic and reasons. Through art and people reaching out to refugees, they are no longer invisible or mere numbers or statistics.

Alfredo Jaar: It is difficult

Alfredo Jaar is a much celebrated artist, architect and filmmaker. His work shines a light on global injustices like homelessness, immigration, refugees’ crisis, genocides, etc. He brings attention to the invisible, the people that the media, the governments and general public don’t want to see. His works range from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, Norway’s immigration policies, to homelessness in Montreal.

Through his installations, he juggles between video, photography and elements of theatre. Jaar is an artist who believes in the power of the image to change minds and ideas. He uses the visual to portray traumatic events in new insightful perspectives.

He uses art as a tool for social change and as a platform for dialogue. According to him, art is what we want it to be. He clearly emphasizes on the importance of cultural and historical context when creating a project. The point is to not act in the world before understanding it.

One project that resonated with me the most was on the topic of refugees.

As the EU won the Nobel prize for peace, it also became a fortress against immigrants. Many xenophobic and nationalist political parties in Europe are growing stronger. The immigration crisis is nothing new. As Jaar says, it’s only that the faces were black so they were invisible and nobody cared. For him, it’s about giving a new visibility to the refugees crisis.

One of his work is called The Gift. A white cube is given by volunteers to random people in the streets. When opening it, the instructions tell them to turn the cube inside out, revealing a reconstructed image of a beach near Bodrum, and a message to help MOAS. The Migrant Offshore Aid Station is an organisation working with drones to survey the sea. As the EU regulations do not allow anyone to approach refugees boats unless there’s a clear distress or the boat is sinking, MOAS found a way to go around that law using drones to send signal to Rome’s Maritime Rescue, from where the message is then transmitted to MOAS’ boats in order to save the refugees.

Valencia, Spain

Valencia was definitely the highlight of my trip around Europe this year. For ten days, I had the chance to experience it during the Fallas, an annual traditional celebration in commemoration of St-Joseph. During these festivities, the city’s streets get transformed with food trucks, tents, colourful artworks and crowds of locals and tourists. I was spoiled enough to be invited at a friend’s home during my stay, which allowed me to experience his daily life as a local and the best places to visit.

To name few of the highlights of Valencia, the Turia gardens and the Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias are a must when visiting. As a former river, it was reconverted in a sunken garden stretching from one end of the city to the other. As you walk through it, it reveals a serie of small parks, recreational public spaces, sports facilities, resting areas and the famous Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias, designed by Calatrava. As the noisy car traffic crosses above the old river, people wandering underneath it don’t bump into the traffic.

The Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias is an art and science complex composed of Europe’s largest aquarium, an oceanographic park, a planetarium, a science museum, a performing art center, and much more. The impressive futuristic design of the architectural ensemble justify its reputation as one of the twelve treasures in Spain.

Around the city center, the most important touristic places were the Mercado central (Art Nouveau public market), Lonja de la Ceda (old silk warehouse), San Nicolas church, the Catedral (Roman Catholic parish church), the Miguelete tower (Cathedral with a Gothic-style octagonal bell tower) for a great view of Valencia, etc.

In between the festivities, we visited green parts of the city like Monforte garden with its neoclassical natural landscape and the Botanical garden with its many collections of plants from all around the world. To rest from the noise and activities of the city center, these gardens are good places to relax.

Albufera was a great spot to see the sunset. Located around 11 km south of the city, it is freshwater lagoon and estuary on the Gulf of Valencia.

Starting March 15th, the main attraction was the Fallas, where monuments are burnt at the end of the festival. Each neighbourhood of the city has an organised association, called the Casal faller, with a specific artwork built over the previous year. Traditionally, people would throw everything that is considered to be old and not useful anymore, onto a bonfire every year. By doing so, the gesture symbolized a new start.

During those five days and nights, crowds in the restaurants spill out into the streets and explosions can be heard all day long from morning until late at night. Small children to elderly people are throwing fireworks and noisemakers in the streets. 

Mascletà

Mascletà, a coordinated fireworks show, takes place at 2:00 pm every day of the festival at the Plaça de l'Ajuntament. As during the day the fireworks are barely visible, the show is more about the noise. The louder, the better.

Nit del Foc

At night, the sky is filled with light and colour during Fallas thanks to the impressive firework displays. The spectacles bring crowds of people. The fireworks reach its peak at the Nit del Foc, a unique firework display celebrated in the early hours of the 18th. 

The traditional dress worn by "falleros" (men) vary from black trousers and jacket or decorated shirt with different patterns. Women’s handmade dresses can be very expensive, from 2,000 Euros to more than 20,000 Euros. The work behind the production of these intricate pieces of clothing is quite impressive. They are accompanied with traditional hair style and gold or silver jewelries.

Ofrenda

All the Fallas associations of Valencia parade through the city from their neighbourhood to the Plaza de la Virgen for a flower offering to the Virgen de los Desamparados, patron saint of Valencia. The bouquets of flowers become part of an impressive 15-metre high structure representing the Virgen’s cape.  

The Cremà

On the final night of Falles, the monuments are burnt as huge bonfires. La Cremà, the climax of the whole event, is quite an astonishing event to witness. Flames can go up to 20 meters high and the heat of the fire can easily damage the surrounding buildings. For security reasons, emergency services and firefighters are controlling the fires throughout the city that particular night.

Needless to say that Valencia was an amazing travelling adventure for me, from the fiery festival to the city’s historical treasures, Calatrava’s futuristic design and the local experience. I particularly appreciated the slow-paced rythm of living. People take time to enjoy life, and to cultivate the strong bonds in the community. Another destination to return to, very soon.

El Anatsui

For four months, Haus der Kunst is exhibiting an extensive collection of El Anatsui’s works. It comprises art pieces from the beginning of his career until now.

Born in Ghana, El Anatsui is an artist who’s proving that great art can emerge anywhere in the world. The comprehensive exhibition shows the immense works made of materials like used bottle caps, wood panels, and so on. He likes to play and experiment with whatever materials he can find. Despite their monumentality, they convey lightness and transparency.

The sculptures are a network of aluminium bottle caps tied together, giving the impression of a textile flowing on the walls. The patterns and colours reflect the traditional robe for the most important men in the African society: the kente.

In a way that can draw connections between consumption, waste, and the environment, El Anatsui generates meaning out of his material and technical process. The process of cutting, flattening, squeezing, twisting, folding and joining of thousands of these bottle caps, together with copper wire that weave together fabricated sections into a single work, reflects the creation of human communities out of connected individuals.

This piece was my favorite one from the whole exhibition. Not only because of its scale, but, also because of the labyrinth-like shape that allow visitors to be part of this artwork. Through the promenade, the curtains close or open up the path. It plays with the visitor, creating a sense of uncertainty, confusion and disorientation. It it said to enact life’s incertitude.

Overall, I certainly enjoyed the exhibition as I am truly fascinated by how the artist was able to integrate and connect the themes of tradition, culture, history to the ones of environment, materiality and architecture. El Anatsui successfully pinpointed these issues and topics in his artworks in compelling ways. It makes people think and reflect on it, which how I personally measure the success of any form of art.

London, England

London appeals to me as a city of ideas, innovation and imagination. I enjoyed the busy crowds and mix of cultures from all around the world.

For the few days we were there, we experienced a cold and rainy London, but it didn’t fade its vibrance and beauty. Walking through the streets, there was always interesting perspectives in every corner and intersection, like the Victorian and Regency style houses, remarkable churches and modern glass buildings. It seemed like the city managed to balance modern towers and industrial factories without disrupting the classical architecture and historical places.

The first day was a hectic one. We walked around the Westminster and Piccadilly area to see the obvious touristic places: Westminster Catholic Cathedral, the Abbey, the Parliament, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, the Piccadilly Circus, and so on.

Piccadilly Circus is a touristic public space in Westminster and a busy road intersection. It connects Regent Street and Piccadilly.

The Circus is located near to major shopping and entertainment areas in the West End. It is recognisable for its digital billboards’ pulsing lights and neon signs at night. The Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue stand proudly in the center of the intersection. It is surrounded by the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre.

On the second day, a bit tired but still very much eager to see as many places as possible, we went to Belgravia neighbourhood and, then, the famous Sky Garden.

Sky Garden was probably one of my favorite touristic spot in the city. It’s mind-blowing to imagine a three-storeys public garden on the 37th floor of a building, enclosed by a glass dome. And yet, they somehow did it. It is working as an observatory deck, an outdoor terrace and restaurant at the same time.

In a few days, we were able to quickly see some museums as the Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate Modern and Design Museum as they are all free. The extensive collections of specimens, fossils, artworks and relics were absolutely stunning. I particularly appreciated that most exhibitions were very interactive and used different mediums to illustrate complex concepts or ideas. The downside it that the museums were very crowded, but if you have time, it is absolutely worth it of course.

Chinatown was a huge surprise for me. I believe it is the biggest one I’ve seen so far. The saturated red lights and colourful neons, the hanging lanterns and the delicious smell of numerous restaurants from all over Asia was the perfect place to end our day. We had dinner in a Malaysian restaurant hidden in an alley and I must say the food was pretty good.

Little Venice is a quiet and picturesque area marked by a canal running through the neighbourhood. It is at the intersection of Grand Union and Regent’s canals. A lot of boats were used as homes filled with domestic items (in a chaotic way), dishes, flower pots, solar panels, and so on. We went strolling in the morning while it was, surprisingly, sunny.

It was a nice way to end our trip, convincing us to come back to beautiful London, very soon.

On a Cusp

The more you travel, the more you realize how complex and how big the gap between identity and nationality is for a lot of people. One may be born in one place, spending their childhood in another and working in a third one. Then, how you identify yourself might be all the parts of all these cultures you integrated during your life. The degree in which you see yourself as belonging to a specific culture depends on your education, your family and community.

Wherever you are in the world, you are constantly questioned about the authenticity of your roots, either as an Asian or an American for example. You can be considered as a foreigner in your own hometown, birthplace and/or in the current city you live in. As any children of immigrants, we all struggle to relate fully to our family’s cultural identity because some values might clash or some habits might not work anymore.

The feeling of not belonging to neither or to both at the same time bothers me a lot. It is difficult to connect with your family, because of the geographical and cultural distances. Family tells you you’re not enough like them, society tells you you’re not assimilated enough. We are stuck between cultures in the present, straddling on a (very uncomfortable) cusp. However, it is also a strength because it allows us to find the good in different cultures and it elevates our sense of freedom, independence and open-mindedness. Since the boundaries are quickly dissolving in our modern world, we’ll have to realize that almost nothing is fully right or fully wrong in every culture.

Hallstatt, Austria

Saturday morning, we hoped in a rented white Beetle for Hallstatt from Munich. Still half asleep, two and a half hours later, we arrived in the quiet small Austrian town. Lots of tourists were strolling along the steep paths. Most of the shops were closed, only few cafés and restaurants were welcoming passerby.

Along the Hallstätter lake, the lovely traditional houses are agglomerated in random patterns on an abrupt slope. Like in most European villages, a church overlooks the town. The lovely sunny weather lead us on a stroll between the tight alleys and steep stairs.

Of course, the main attraction of the Hallstatt is its gorgeous lake and surrounding mountains. The winter scenery was very impressive to see. Every point of view was breathtaking. I can’t imagine how fall and summer must be in this charming Austrian town.