nice ride

This hasn't exactly been the summer of leisure Aidan and I planned so today we shirked our duties to all of our other projects and took a nice 25 (or so) km ride around the city.  

Our only real destination was the bauhaus-archiv to see an exhibition that closes very soon on the work of Benita Koch-Otte. There were maybe a dozen woven pieces, and lots of really beautiful designs on paper which made me wish more of them got made into proper textiles.  I'd seen a lot of her designs on various websites, but I guess like all art, it's best seen up close and for real so if you're in Berlin and this is up your alley, check it out while you can. 

On our way there we passed my favorite building in Berlin:

We left the Archiv and rode up the Lankwehrkanal to Rosa Luxemburg's memorial and then down to one or our favorite riding spots.  A perfect day!

slime work

Getting back to work today in my little corner meant stringing up a line and coating a whole bunch of washi paper in konnyaku starch!  I guess most people who use it try to get as much wrinkly texture as possible into their paper, but as my plans require strong and flat-ish paper, I was a little gentler in my wringing.  I got my little tub magic-paper-strengthening starch at The Paper Place in Toronto.  

From slimy balls to majestic sheets.  Soon to be embroidered and worked into book covers!

unlike me

I have a habit of doing things that go against my instincts. Getting up on stage is one of them. Running public and/or interactive projects like The Wunderkabinet and now, The Lesen Lounge is another.

I'm shy and I'm awkward and interacting with strangers kind of freaks me out. Thank goodness for the incredibly generous help - particularly from Ina, Cati, and Aidan - I've gotten to pull it all together, but when it comes down to it, the responsibility to explain myself to the confused masses falls on me. Geographically, this also means I do it in mangled English-German.

Anxieties aside, I'm pretty excited to be pulling out The Lesen Lounge for the first time this Sunday. I've decided to unveil the finished bike trailer/library box after the Sunday outing, but here's a 'before' paint, 'after' construction picture:

It'll be going out regularly - as long as the sun is shining - over the next months. If you live in Berlin you should come and visit. To find out when and where we'll be, check our website!