Urban Products

My first urban product is this transparent in the first sight very dumb looking umbrella. But when you go through NY and you have the same experience like the man (see pic) because it is so windy, you notice that this folish looking umbrella isn't half bad. The other problem in a city like NY is, that everybody wearing an umbrella hurts the people close-by. After this experience I also recognized that the strait form of the umbrella is really good – and the fact that you can look through it helps to avoid walking against something or somebody. Resume: Great object, but nothing for me! ;)

Packaging in NY

.. is great! I have a real problem because I wanna buy so much... but I can't. Shop-a-holic illness! Grrr! Because it is forbidden to take pictures in shops, here as a start only some pics of bottles – and this is not the biggest problem to resist...

New NYU project

Last Monday we had our first meeting with a group of public policies students of the NYU. They made different exploration projects in f.e. India or Nicaragua. They had different topics like researching about the education standards there or which problems occur by organising clean water. They just evaluate their data. In one month we will begin to develop different information graphics out of it. I am curios about it. The pictures show the amazing building. Not bad.

Fever Ray concert

ps: I pretend to be there... because I would love to go to her concert. It was sold out... ;( hopefully next time!

the actual video:

Seven from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

When I grow up:

When I Grow Up from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

Cold Spring / Bull Mountain

Cover of the New York magazine

I was a little bit shocked yesterday when I saw the »New York« cover showed Obama and named »HATE« – includes the swear words »Hitler« and »Nazi«... I just recognize more and more an anti Obama movement – after he didn't change anything in the health insurance system like he promised before...
(To this topic I also found this!)

inspiration or imitation of the new yorker cover designer?

Waste to go! Eating in NYC!

When you eat in NY, you get so much stuff! For instance you get all sauces like »Duck«(!) or soya sauce and the food is packed in a big amount of plastic and paper. Some boxes have for instance a extra handle of metal – and around this whole packaging there are always TWO bags... »GREAT«!
In opposite to that I have to focus a lot of my research in university »come hell or high water« to the environmental topic – twisted world! I have the feeling of compelled, non-authentical environmental awareness! Puhhh!

Central Park

16th Annual Oktoberfest in the Central Park

Unfortunately this video is true... ;) There was an Octoberfest in the Central Park last Saturday! Really weird and crazy. For sure the guys from Munich, Julian and Simon, could overcome their pain of not-participating the opening day on the real Oktoberfest, but for me it was only fun for ten minutes at most... ;)

Jenni + Basketball in NYC ;)

... ich hätte mir vielleicht vorher überlegen sollen, dass es vielleicht ein wenig schwierig werden könnte in NY Basketball spielen zu wollen. Aber ja, Jenni macht sich, wie mal so öfter, nicht so viele Sorgen und denkt sich einfach: »ich muss mal wieder Sport machen« und meldet sich kurzerhand im Basketballkurs ihrer Uni an.

Dann kam der Tag des ersten Treffens: Jenni betritt die Halle und bekommt fast einen Schock, als sie eine Gruppen von Basketballern spielen sieht... schwarz und groß, im kompletten Basketballoutfit mit einer Tribüne voller Zuschauern(!!!)...und dann kam Jenni. Noch redete sie sich ein, dass diese Gruppe nicht zu Ihrer Uni gehört, aber als sie dann vor der Kiste voller T-Shirts, aus der sie sich eins aussuchen solle, und diese genauso aussahen, wie die der Leute auf dem Spielfeld, war die Ungewissheit (leider) zunichte gemacht: das sind oder werden meine Gegner sein.

Als symbolische Trikotnummer habe ich mir dann direkt die Nummer 0 rausgesucht, die passend zu meinem seelischen Zustand war...

In diesem Moment wollte sie am Liebsten wieder rückwärts umdrehen. Nach ihrer Frage, ob überhaupt auch irgendwelche Mädchen bzw. Anfänger mitspielen, und diese mit »ja« beantwortet wurde, hat ihr dies leider auch nicht wirklich die Angst genommen. Sie sollte zwar beruhigt sein, war sie aber nicht.

Doch dann hat sie sich irgendiwe in die Halle getraut und hat ebenso kleine Mädchen und noch kleinere Jungen gesichtet. Aufatmen! Ab diesem Zeitpunkt ging alles bergauf:

Jenni hat ein nettes Team und in der Gegnermannschaft waren auch 2 Mädels. Ihr Mannschaft hat zwar hochhaus verloren, aber es hat richtig viel Spaß gemacht (sie hoffe, dass die Niederlage nicht an ihr lag)! Drei Jungs ihrer Mannschaft spielen schon jahrlang Basketball zusammen in einer Mannschaft. Zum ersten Mal seit langem hat sie sich mal wieder wie nach einem Handballspiel gefühlt. Deshalb wird sie das jetzt auf jeden Fall jeden Mittwoch machen.

Jenni spielt Basketball in NY ;)

(Ich hoffe, dass nächste Woche mal jemand Fotos machen kann, damit ihr mir das glaubt! Sorry, Sanket that it is in German, but I had not enough time to write it in English – next time again!)

Brooklyn Street Art

Wall Street – Governors Island – Dumbo

Dutch Design Festival Governors Island

New York I love you, but you're freaking me out...

LCD Soundsystem

»You are stranded!«

Because we heard from other guys that we had to imitate an animal to enter the party we practiced it in my flat. Therefore we thought we were perfectly prepared – but this was wrong: now we had to explain why we are stranded and what we want to do. Fortunately Andy had a good excuse and we came in.

This party was almost the craziest thing I witnessed here in NY.

What you hear (and unfortunately can't see) in the first video is a great installation. It was a big black cube out of simple black foil with a lot of small wholes. Outside the installation were three projectors with visuals so that you see a lot of rays. Inside the cube were a lot of pillows, joss sticks and a big, big instrument installation which consisted of different pots and claves in different sizes and arrangements. The sound was live because the installation was programmed and completely self-acting.




Everywhere were different stalls with games and actions like massages, yoga and art installations. Last night we were relegated in the 68ies hippie community – but it was today, with different kinds of crazy people and in NY.

Dinner in the Café Habana

Water Taxi Beach

We got an invitation from the DAAD to the Alumni and Students Party at the Water Taxi Beach. A great view and Kölsch(!) put me in a good mood. I went home quite early because I had to go alone. The bar was in a strange industrial area. So I asked two girls who were walking in the same direction if I can go with them. I got to know them and they were very nice NYer girls. They asked me if I want to come with them on a concert in the Prospect Park, but I still had to finish a paper for my class next day – so unfortunately I had to go home. Good Night!