AlterSpace

marlies moser, autorin: „Kunst ist leben, leben ist Kunst!“

2012-01-24T10:15:00.000-05:00

marlies moser, autorin: „Kunst ist leben, leben ist Kunst!“: Wenn Manish Pathak die Bühne betritt, verwandelt sich der Inder innerhalb von Sekunden in Nataraj höchstpersönlich, dem König des Tanzes. Z...

Berlin Compass

2011-11-14T07:19:00.005-05:00

WELCOME TO BERLIN COMPASS

Multidisciplinary Performances

I am performing on the 25th of November: New Indian Dance-An amalgam of the traditional and the contemporary...

A four night series, each night loosely themed around one of the cardinal points, West, North, East, South. Which ones are you?

24-27 November 2011, Club der polnischen Versager
Ackerstraße 168, 10115 Berlin-Mitte
U8 Rosenthaler Platz
Door opens 20:15
Door closes 20:45
Entry/Eintritt 8 euro
http://berlincompass.blogspot.com/

West
24.11
Cera Impala
Peter Newman
Hye Jin Kim
Skiz-um Hequ ("a compass seeks balance")
Mc Jabber (E)
Moon (Stephen Mooney) (E)
Sandra Sarala

North
25.11
mr oCean
Kerri Mullen
Anja Zeilinger
Alexis Baker
Wasp Summer
Manish Pathak (S)
Sandra Sarala

North
26.11
Alistair Noon
Lady Gaby a.k.a. Gaby Bila-Gunter
Volcanick
...as a trio piece, Ausgerechnet Armenien (Ironically, Armenia)
Michael Gross
Leonid Soybelman (W)
Frank Alkämper
AlinK.Sarit
Sandra Sarala
mit film from Marta Jurkowska

South
27.11
Claudia Emmingham
David Cassel
Trike
Daniela Gast (N)
Phil Cooksey
Sandra Sarala

(bitte nach unten scrollen für Deutsch)

Berlin COMPASS

West, North, East, South, which directional points are yours?

Launch into an ongoing international exploration in music, word, laughter, performance, image and dance; four evenings of intuitive, fated and chosen bearings.

Hosted by singing poet Sandra Sarala (who’s taking on four different musical-poetic-performance personas across the series), and thematically curated around the cardinal points, each multi-disciplinary evening will formally commence with the communal breaking of a circular loaf of homemade bread, uniting all present. Every show has been designed to showcase individual performers, to offer complementary contrasts and interconnections, and will close with collaborative improvisation.
Choose your resonant points and bring your good self /selves along.

Thursday 24th WEST
‘West, Seeking Balance, and the Balancing East’
Wordy offerings from balancing story-telling time-traveller Skiz-um Hequ, and the poetic Eastern tongues of MC Jabber and Moon (Stephen Mooney), while Sandra Sarala explores the maze and dark mystery of Western life, alongside wildcard Wests, singer of sweetness Cera Impala, musician/video artist Peter Newman, and concert pianist Kim Hye Jin, taking us to her West with Rachmaninov.

Friday 25th NORTH
‘North and a Balancing South’
Touch your philosophy with spoken word from mr oCean and Anja Zeilinger, some storytelling and a touch of song from Kerri Mullen, music and candlelight from Wasp Summer, bridge Lieder and the avant-garde with Alexis Baker, and be danced towards love, joy and melancholy by (India-born) Southerner Manish Pathak. Sandra Sarala takes up alter-ego Loki as host.

Saturday 26th EAST
‘East with a Rogue West’
Well-considered words from several stalwarts of Berlin’s literati – spoken word mega-presence Gaby Bila-Gunter aka Lady Gaby, and poets Alistair Noon, and Frank Alkämper, the latter in confluence upon ‘Ausgerechnet Armenien’ (‘Ironically, Armenia) with musicians Michael Gross and Leonid Soybelman (rogue West in the East!). Sandra Sarala heads for the archaic folksong hills, someone lets Volcanick, the hairiest oriental belly-dancer in town, into the house, and special rules come into play this evening for special guest, intuitive singer AlinK.Sarit, bussing over from Poland… which may have a little something to do with film from Marta Jurkowska.

Sunday 27th SOUTH
‘South with a Deliberately Contrary North’
Verbal dexterity in the shining poetry-stories of Claudia Emmingham, dexterous lunacy from singer, songwriter and comedian David Cassel, and electro-art-pop duo Trike (Xania Keane and Stephen Paul Taylor), some measure of Northern contrariness from performance artist Daniela Gast, and a sprinkling on the ivories from composer and pianist Phil Cooksey, also in collaboration upon the southern seas with lyric poetry from Sandra Sarala.

Berlin COMPASS: Thursday 24 – Sunday 27 November, 2011, Club der polnischen Versager, Ackerstraße 168 (next to Schokoladen), 10115 Berlin, (U8 Rosenthaler Platz)
Doors open and music from 20:15, Doors close and bread-breaking 20:45
Entry: 8 euros, and an extra special collection on Saturday night
http://berlincompass.blogspot.com/

Entrance

2011-11-13T04:18:00.004-05:00

The entrance was entranced by this addition from Ilka.This was her birthday gift,these cabinets.I improvised it just like dance.These closets are actually resting on top of each other with the base being two thick bars of leftover wood.It looks very sleek to some people.Some think it's highly irregular.

Lord Of Wisdom,Lord Of Creation

2011-11-13T04:11:00.007-05:00

Lord Ganesh,He found me in 2005 while I was travelling in Hyderabad in India.Lord Nataraj was given to me by my dance fan Evelyn.The Greek Madonna with Baby Jesus is from Rena.

I found this Erika(as Germans call it)lying on my street.The container was bought in a junk shop for 10 Euros.

Red Room Resurrection

2011-11-13T04:02:00.006-05:00

Anna lent me this Egg chair few months ago.I have added a sofa that I found in my courtyard.I like sitting in this corner surrounded by plants and magazines.It's meditative as much as it's possible for me to do that.

This sort of fills this room further and makes it cosier.

Waiting With Bated Breath

2011-09-21T00:15:00.005-05:00

I will be posting new major/minor variations that my place has gone through soon.

There has been major changes in the red room,minor ones in the front.

The mood is different,the atmosphere has undergone a certain transformation; subtle yet effective.

Summer Impressions Continue...

2011-07-16T04:13:00.008-05:00

Here are some mixed impressions during a lazy afternoon in early July of summer 2011.The first few images are from the front room,the rest are of the red room.Some alterations there.

Some More Images

2011-06-13T01:57:00.010-05:00

I found this unusual,barely finished work on board in my backyard.It's an image of two women almost consipiring to do something sinister.At least that's how I perceive it.I do not want to touch it up.It's mystical the way it is,leads to a lot of interpretations.

The first 4 images are of the thriving garden in my kitchen as most of my visitors and my sister put it.The ivy is growing very fast and quarterly frames the succulents.You can see the windows of the red room from the ivy framed pane.
The plants around the candlestand are blessed.

The table that I had been using in my kitchen is now part of the front room.The arrangement on its top has an asparagus plant,a polish oven dish,a modern lamp from my Ansi and vase from the flea market in Mauer park.

Summer 2011

2011-06-13T01:54:00.003-05:00

This summer for the first time I have some flowers planted on my balcony.It's Frank,he planted them.I just water them every morning.

Reflections

2011-05-26T04:48:00.010-05:00

The reflections on space lead to the variations in arrangement.It's a perennial quest.Sometimes arrangements are made harder to handle instead of making them easier to deal with.For example my "curtains" in the front room are actually bed sheets from India and are hung on tiny nails.They are attached to these off-white cotton sheets to control the light and to keep the bed sheets from becoming faded.These off-white sheets actually are also from India,but bought for 4 euros each from IKEA,Berlin.

It's not easy to handle these rather heavy combination shades a lot of times as the tiny nails come off or the hooks can't hold the sheets together.Also the balcony door has a roller shade hung as a "curtain" that rests on top of the doors when the doors are opened.It drops on the top of our heads,me and my friends.The smokers are generally in trouble as they struggle with the uncouth shades.

It's kept this way as I prefer restrains instead comfort.Imperfections are stimulating and work well with rest.

Red Revolution Continues...

2011-05-25T06:23:00.006-05:00

As I had predicted early this year my red room has undergone some changes.I now have a corner which settles the turbulence in my head down.It gives me a sense of balance which is sometimes missing in the front room.I suppose that happens because of the proximity of that room to the street.

I found a rattan table on the street a couple of months ago and it goes well with the gray sofa.The other new addition is this secretaire which I bought and brought home with some difficulty dreading that it won't work.But it definitely gives the corner a gravity of sorts.

The colourful hand-woven area rugs are from my recent trip to Calcutta,India.

Red Revolution

2011-02-15T07:06:00.005-05:00

My back room has gone through a minor metamorphosis.I have tried to reduce as much as possible to bare essentials.I can't predict-as usual-what other changes it may experience in the near future.But for now this is the closest I could get to the spartan.

The sofa from Anna adds a gravity that was hitherto missing.I have re-positioned the table from the front room.I can read my Domus there as enough light pours in.It's inspiring.I shall be doodling soon it seems or something more substantial might come out.

It's been a while since I drew or painted anything.

Movement

2011-02-06T06:14:00.005-05:00

There has been some movement between the front room and the kitchen.I acquired a longer dinning table and moved smaller "Bauerntisch" to the front room.

The spaces have been re-defined.The arrangements have altered the experience and the feel of both the rooms.

There have been some alterations in the red room too.The visuals will be added later.

The pictures are a combination of kitchens and front rooms.

Work From 2010

2011-01-07T03:54:00.004-05:00

Here are some of the pieces I had worked at in 2010.

The one in red is called "Bridge Of Hope and Despair" in Ink,Gesso,Oil and Thread on canvas.I shall add some details from this piece,when the sun comes out next time in Berlin.Today it's absolutely cloudy.

The other one is called "Roots" as I have decided to put my roots here in Berlin.The sense of belonging that I identify with the word "home" gave the impetus to create this piece.Gesso,Watercolor and Paper on canvas.There are some accompanying details.

None of these were really painted with a brush.So they can't be called paintings as such.Therefore I stick with the word piece or simply work.

Home

2010-12-18T10:09:00.003-05:00

What is home?

I travelled from India to North America to Europe for over 15 years and it took me that long to find it.For me,home is a feeling.It's how I feel in a given surrounding.It is space within and without.

I had more friends in Toronto,I spoke my languages in India and Canada and yet I have felt home here in Berlin,where I can't really communicate as smoothly as I did in those places.So language doesn't form a very significant part of this feeling as such.I don't have any friends apart from Frank and Anna,who I see regularly.Having to know a larger number of people doesn't have not much to do with this feeling either,I suppose.

I feel being embraced by Berlin.It didn't happen in Potsdam-which is only 45 minutes away from here.Of course,my personal interactions play a significant role.

A handful of light blue sky appeared-visible through the kitchen window-and was comforting like the fronds of my fern on the window sill.These little incidents of light and noticing are quite significant in my daily living.My perimeters have become pretty limited without any negative connotation,if there are any involved with the word "limited".Drama is lacking.A sense of comfort & peace has taken hold.

Thank For Your Love

2010-12-17T07:50:00.004-05:00

It's a bit of plagiarism.Thank you for your love is a song title by Antony And The Johnsons.

I would like to thank all the people who found time and inclination to peruse through my blog and left comments.It's encouraging and motivates me to keep at it.

I wish you all happy holidays.Mine begins on the 22nd and runs until 3rd of January,2011.

Serendipity or Providence

2010-12-17T07:27:00.007-05:00

Is it serendipity or providence? Sometimes one wishes for something and it just appears.I had wanted a longer piece of furniture to accomodate my music system and my little Mac.One day last year I came back from work and the caretaker of my building was pondering over an old Grundig radio.It's about quarter to 2 meters, and conveniently fits into my household vocabulary.It has also happened in some other cases that I just have a fleeting desire/wish for something and it has just materialised.I found the movies that I had wanted to watch for ages.Few days ago I was talking about them with someone and hallelujah,they were there at the library today.

Thank God for small mercies.

And,yes,I have added some succulents to my plant family.They go well with the beautiful vase I bought in a flea market for 2 Euros.The little lamp is from Anna Lafrenz.The succulents and Ficus Benjamina rest on a metal shelf.I got that from a rocker lookalike some time ago for 5 Euros.

The Window Ledge & The Neighbours

2010-12-14T04:03:00.004-05:00

The window ledge in my kitchen is a cornucopia of earth tones and greens and light: natural and candle.The ivy has been doing well for a year now.I brought it back in from my balcony.The fern is thriving.There is a conifer too-not in the picture.They all seem to like each other's company and are doing well.

The swans were frolicking in the canal nearby.

Front Room In Various Moods

2010-12-05T03:30:00.009-05:00

Fog is rare in Berlin.Few weeks ago it appeared and I took a phone picture.Just so you know most of the pictures here are from my phone.It's early winter view from my window.

My front room faces east and in summer could easily be a vessel of shimmering light all day long,until late in the evening.The sun hits the walls as soon as it comes out and warms them up subtly.

I dance in this room.We rehearse sometimes when needed to,me and my co-dancer.This room is my nest.It encloses me in it's gentle embrace.I have had my first deep sleep on 31st of December,2007 here.I slept like a baby through a heavy-metal new year's eve party.Before that I lived in Potsdam or rather squatted.This place had no heating-not the 21st century kind,no shower and was very dark.But I must say some of my best artwork came out of there.Rest later about those 8 1/2 months in Potsdam.

It is not that warm in winter as my doors and windows are more than 106 years old-depends when you are reading this.The breeze seeps in.I have heard my neighbour complain about the same.So the heating system has to work a little harder.Yet it's nothing major.

I have had this room for over 3 years and I feel more comfortable in here than in the back room.I got the possession of the whole flat only in early 2010.Before that I had constantly been living with someone else.

I have had my bed moved from the red room and is a manna from heaven.For the first time in 41 years of my living I have the most comfortable bed.I bought the bed frame from a Japanese girl for 35 Euros in early 2010.When I went to have a look,she turned out to be my colleague at one of the schools that I teach at.She teaches Japanese-she is Japanese.Since then I haven't seen her.Perhaps no one wants to learn Japanese at this point.

The closet is from a nearby Troedel Markt-it litelrally means Junk Market in German.It's for 60 Euros including delivery.Beside that it's an old Grundig radio,may be from the 60's.I found that in my backyard waiting to be thrown away.The radio still works and on the top I have my collection of gadgetry.My Hausmeister helped me carry it.It weighs 60 Ton;it's really,really heavy.

The blue sofa was given to me by Anna Lafrenz.She is my neighbouring friend.I am there on that sofa most of the evenings devouring movies.

The bar chair is from an English couple who moved back to London.I got it for 5 Euros.It's very comfy.

The Process Continues...

2010-12-02T06:43:00.014-05:00

I find objects or they find me and then they find their own space,their own place.They become part of the pattern-if there is one.They become part of the whole scheme.

Everything becomes part of a relationship.So when one object changes location the others are affected.Or they need to be switched too.

Every object has it's designated space volume.The feeling,the mood,the space is ever evolving here.

The feel is very different;it varies from room to room.How I feel in this red room can't be compared with the front room.The red room has subtle/soft natural light.It's very cozy.It's warmer.The landlord fixed the windows.They keep the wind out.Not in the front room.

A lot of objects in my apartment are found or given by my friends.Anna Lafrenz,a neighbour and friend of mine was getting rid of a lot of her stuff and I was benefitted by that.

This is the red room.The red or rather burgundy was chosen and painted by Elena who lived in this room from November 2007 until February 2009.She actually didn't live here as such.She had wings;she used to fly away for longer periods of time.It was her nest,sort of,where she came back whenever she needed to feel at home.She was inspired by Africa and so the red and the golden.

The ceiling is very high in my apartment.I don't know,about 11-11 1/2 feet or so.It's golden in the red room.The window opens onto the courtyard.I keep it very minimalist.There are my bigger works on the wall-Potsdam,2007.They are actually duvet covers-you will find the details in my 2007 blog.

The window has two chiffon scarves hanging.They are called duppattas in Hindi.I bought them when I went to India last.

I have a futon which I bought in March 2008 for 35 Euros,bit over priced for a used one.But it works.The suitcase beside the futon-I found that and now it stores some of my artwork.

There is a watercolor on a door panel that I found in the courtyard of the building we were squatting in Potsdam.The cloak is my performance costume or at least a part of it.

The tumbleweed(2009) is from Treptower Park which isn't too far away from here.The glass vase and the Candlebra are from Frank.Since the pictures were taken the candlebra has moved to the kitchen.

When I don't have guests I like to float from the red room to my front room.It gives me a sense of freedom and space, which I miss when they are around.I practice Yoga there.Frank gifted me a nice Yoga mat on my last birthday.

The Process

2010-11-30T05:12:00.005-05:00

The Process began in the fall of 2007.I was living in Potsdam,Germany then.It's a suburb of Berlin.I conducted workshops at Fabrik,a dance studio there.One of the weekends I was walking towards Fabrik and realized a girl(Elena Kruegel) in white Indian garb was waiting on the intersection.At that exact moment I knew she would play a very significant role in my life.Turned out she was participating in my workshop of "New Indian Dance".The Kitchen-the picture is from my mobile phone.

At the end of that workshop she asked me to share an apartment with her in Berlin.It didn't work out the way she wanted until the beginning of 2008.Eventually she found this place that you will find pictures of and was sharing it with a Spanish girl.I happened to go on a trip to India and Canada and needed a place when I came back.The Spanish girl found love and decided to go back to Spain at exactly the same time I was coming back from my trip.I got her room and shared this apartment with Elena for a year.In February of 2009 Elena decided to move to Dresden and trasnferred the contract in my name.In a nuthshell this is how it happened.This is how I finally found home.

2010-11-29T07:06:00.008-05:00

After a period of three and half years I have finally decided to update my blog.A lot has happened since May 2007,suffice to say I have found home and balance in my life that hadn't been there.

Here you will find a picture series of my home; an apartment in Berlin in various moods,in various phases of transition.Some of the pictures are intentionally touched,to give them a sort of abstract quality.I have taken this artistic license to enhance a sort of mystic that I experience in my Sancto-Sanctum.

Slowly but surely I will be adding my paintings and drawings and other details of interest.The philosophy behind the arrangement at my place will be explained;especially the connectedness of things.Feel free to let me know about your point of view.You can tell me about your home and how you feel about it.

Rest will follow...

New Indian Dance-My Own Interpretation

2007-05-16T06:28:00.044-05:00

NEW INDIAN DANCE

PRIVATE SESSIONS

My vocabulary of dance could be considered contemporary in expression,but might have some perceptible Indian classical influences. I use modern Indian music,primarily film-music from Bombay and Southern India along with some independent composers to create a unique form of movements and gestures.

This dance should not be considered only for the sake of entertainment,but to reach the source of peace and joy which all of us have. We fail to utilise this source as we can't detach ourselves from our daily turmoil. During this 45 minutes session we will try that detachment and "just be" in those moments. This hour will only contain music and we will use our bodies as instruments swimming in the pool of energy and vibrations.

I will have maximum number of 2 students in a session.

Location:
Kreuzberg, Berlin

Days and time are negotiable.

U-Bhn: U1 Schlesiches Tor
S-Bhn: Warschauer Str.
Email: motif69@hotmail.com

Dance Videos:www.myspace.com/mayavi13

I have danced with 2 very talented Bharatnatyam dancers.Bharatnatyam is an ancient traditional dance form from South India.I combine my more contemporary movements and gestures with theirs.

I have been dancing since I was a child.I grew-up in the family of artists,musicians and dancers.Movements in my dance could be as slow as Tai-Chi or can be as energetic as the trance like state of sufis.

Exploration of spatial dimensions within and without along with the pure joy of the physical are the essentials of my dance. Interpreting Indian modern music through hand gestures and body movement meanwhile attaining a sense of inner balance is the primary aim. The spiritual is present when the music envelops the whole being and through vibrations and sweat the dark drains away. "Just being" in these moments when feet stamp at the dance floor and the electricity hovers.I prefer freeing the self from inhibitions,a process of expression without the constraints of being of a particular sex-where you could be a man,woman or a child without any restraint.If you are a man,getting in touch with your feminine energies is significant and vice-versa.

AlterSpace

2007-03-15T10:30:00.004-05:00

A thousand suns & a dull flame of desire

Details: A thousand suns & a dull flame of desire

The titles of the following pieces are "Waiting for love-Counting days",followed by "This dance without angst and fear"
They are on duvet covers of 4'.2"X6'.7" that I had found in the front yard of the building where I was living,Potsdam, Brandenburg.

########
AlterSpace

My art emerges from living experience, and the absence of comfort zone leads to the creation of “AlterSpace.” Cultural re-location was a significant precursor to the exploration of spatial dimensions, thus beginning this search for AlterSpace.

AlterSpace comforts my absence of a corporeal comfort zone, encompasses completely, and provides the solace essential to live and to create.

My compositions emerge from nothingness; from the almost unknown come shapes, forms, colors and lines. Music, memories, emotional sensations and nostalgia work in tandem to create my visual vocabulary.

My approach to creative process, harboring instincts and impulses, becomes quite potent. Blankness takes over with the contradictory presence of various textures of thoughts, while music and other sources of inspirations conspire, shimmer and reflect to the end results of abstractions. The process is ritualistic and inspired by tradition: I compose art by sitting on the floor, using various media as offerings, like a Hindu priest.

The physicality of the whole act is tremendously enervating and exhausting. The beats and the rhythms of music and internal turbulence find a common voice in abstract “Tandav,” a kind of dance performed by Hindu God Shiva. It is a dance of destruction, of hackneyed ideas and superstitions, and a precursor to generation of new values and infinite and sublime distances.

These memories are potent enough to control my conscious and sub-conscious life. A sudden smell or taste triggers certain aspects of the past and leads to an outpouring of emotions, which need to be explored visually. The remembrance of the things past and present, and epiphanies inspire my artistic results.

Exhibitions:
2009 Querformat, Berlin, Germany

2008 Indian Embassy, Berlin, Germany

2005 Open Studio,School of Visual Arts,New York City

2005 Tsunami Private Art Sale,Toronto

2005 Youth Art Project,Art Therapy Workshop,Griffin Centre,Toronto

2003&04 Little Art Show,Art Auction,Riverdale Art Walk,Toronto

2004 Art For Life,Art Auction,Sunnybrook & Women's Foundation,Toronto

2004 Solo Exhibition,Zilberschmuck Gallery,Toronto

2004 Toronto Art Expo,Toronto

2004 India Heritage Art Exhibition,Toronto

Private Collection

Germany,Canada,India,Japan

Tangible Proofs of Jocularity & Map of a Mind In Transition

2006-11-15T12:25:00.001-05:00

Central Space 1,2 & 3

2006-10-26T09:46:00.000-05:00

Terada Akemi Was Here In 2003

2006-10-23T13:06:00.000-05:00

The Offering

2006-10-04T11:21:00.000-05:00

The Wedding & Dream Imagery

2006-09-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

Work On Canvas

2006-07-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

Who Would Have Known A Beauty This Immense,22"X28"
Mixed Media On Canvas,2005

Dizzying Dance Of The Divine,22"X 28",Mixed Media On Canvas,2005

Fallen,Sunk So Low & Edge of The Red Forest

2006-07-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

Arch Of Consternation & Ordinary Entanglements

2006-07-13T10:36:00.000-05:00