Team food shopping...

...American style.

Cheese!

Back from my first authentic American university soccer trip. More soon...

Ready?


Say cheese!

Bacon

Debate Watch Party

Ahh...those sweet, exotic elements of American culture. A 'debate watch party' is what I shall attend tomorrow night as part of a new photography project. My plan for this semester is to capture moments of American culture that I as a German am not familiar with. This project will run over the next few months and include images of the election, my soccer trip, Halloween, Thanksgiving, early Christmas decorations etc. More soon...

Crazy...

...busy, is what I am at the moment.
I do so much work I don't even have time to put it up. But it's all happening and I am enjoying every minute of it. Will write soon, but for now: a picture of a pile of drawings for my Scribble Art book. 64 drawings in total, 32 done, 32 to go. Phew.

Bend it like Beckham, Victoria, that is...

Not sure I have mentioned this yet, but I actually joined the Cooper Union soccer team. So far I've been training with the charming boys of the Cooper Engineering School, err. But guess what, the girl's team had their first practice yesterday, rather appropriately so, since we're already booked to play a game in two weeks. We'll go to Albany to play Albany College of Pharmaceuticals. Gives. me. the. fear.

Shoes and Socks

Almost matching. Ahh, the things you discover trying to kill time waiting for the metro.

What's this?

Cookie Monster and Bert?

Exhibition at East Houston and Bowery. Called 'outsiders', not sure by whom, sorry.

Come on everybody now

Quick animation of weird 'They might be giants' interlude for my Thursday night motion graphics class (taught by John Vondracek).

World's end atmosphere

Thanks!

Scribbles

First sketches for the design part of my Scribble Art essay. Click on the image to enlarge.

Hello from studio 49

Misleading

First Photo class assignment: 'Narrative, Images and Reality: Make a series of photographs where the idea of the place or the subject is intentionally misleading.'

I've been thinking about a way of incorporating my panicky, 'homeless' first weeks in New York into my creative work. I wanted to create poetic images that reflect the transient state of being in a flat, but not really being there, because it's not your home...

Hurray!

I've found a place to live! The french baker turned out to be a french banker (typo on my new landlady's behalf). He claims to be good at cooking anyways, though. All is good.

Everything's coming together...

...slowly, but surely. And it's about time, too.

These first weeks have been nothing but trouble. First my bank card broke (actually it was just fraud prevention without fraud). Then my phone broke. Not good in a city where most flats don't have buzzers so you have to call people to say you're there. Then I moved into an apartment which turned out to be in a not so cool area, or at least I didn't feel comfortable. Then I got sick (see blog post about air-condi-shit-ioning). Then I decided I really needed to move. Sooner rather than later. Then I began my hunt. And that was over a week ago.

Now I am in a completely empty apartment in midtown. With 24 hour doormen it couldn't be safer (actually it's almost a bit scary, if you're not used to it, if that makes sense). And I owe a friend a huge thank you. There is nothing in here. No chair, no desk, no nothing. And I love it. I went to this 24 hours hardware store on 29th street the other night. Rocking up there at about 11pm, the store was completely empty. (Why 24 hours, you might wonder. Me too.) One of the employees was so bored he decided to give me personal shopping assistance. And so we spent about 45 minutes wandering through the store, deliberating about what a person needs in an empty flat for 2 weeks. We decided: 1 cup, 1 pan, 1 plate, 1 knife, 1 spoon, 1 fork, 1 glass, 1 bowl.

And so I sit with my one-of-each collection checking craigslist again, waiting to find my dream place. The one place. The heaven of all apartments in all of New York. Actually, I am just looking for a simple, small room in a place that doesn't require to have to call up your bank to ask for a loan to pay the rent, doesn't have more mice than humans, does have a window, and through that window there comes natural light. Doesn't seem too much to ask, but hey, this is New York and people are weird!

I'm searching. And searching. And searching. But if everything works out, I will have that dream place confirmed in the next few days. No mice, 1 window, natural light and sharing with a french baker. The flat, not the room, that is.

Deitch studios performance

Tonight I attended my first artsy New York performance. Having spent most days (and nights) apartment hunting, I had so far totally missed out on all the great art weirdness of this city (I made up for it by seeing just about all non-art weirdness).
I cant say I really understood what this night's performance was about. Something about people living on a boat being outsiders of society. All a bit dramatic, not really so much my cup of tea. BUT the stage design was from a different planet. Never seen anything like it. Literally the whole room was covered with the most astonishing amount of decoration–screen prints, drawings, sculptures and, well, stuff. So good!

Small Boat Big City

I wonder if the best view of Manhattan is actually from Queens?

Air-condi-shit-ioning

I hate air-conditioning. It is wrong and should be made illegal. I believe this country has been infiltrated by some drugs company specialising in cold-relief medication. Cause they'd make a lot of money. On me anyway. What is wrong with a bit of heat? It is only natural. Relax everyone. Think of the environment. Switch it off and get it over with. Oh well, I guess that's a bit harsh. It really is hot in New York, but this mix of oven outside and refrigerator inside really doesn't help either. And so I sit in bed, with a cold, only being cheered up by the podcasts of equally grumpy Stephen Fry. And the wonderful world of iTunes which allows me to download/rent a movie for a mere £3.50 if I am a UK customer or $4 if I am an American one. And in case you are a UK customer in America be prepared to pay UK prices anyway. Basta.

Sky Type

Everything's different...

...in this place. Considering I've travelled a fair bit I find New York a bit of a slap in the face. First, my phone stopped working. Not good. Took me 3 days to sort out. Then my bank card stopped working. Being an HSBC customer, therefore a customer of 'the world's local bank', I thought not to worry. Think again. Asking for assistance in one of their branches I was rejected with the argument no one could bring up my details as I am not their customer here. Great, thanks. Then I got locked in a train. Cause no one tells you in advance that only the first 6 carriages will open at your stop. Only a whole 6 seconds before the train rolls into the station some undecipherable voice barks through the speakers some carriage numbers which won't open. Smart passengers will then attempt a freak attack at the doors between the carriages only to find out they wont open either. That's that.
In the supermarket you have to watch out not to get drained by little hidden sprayers which shower the fresh vegetables. Where I come from we'd probably fear they'd be rotten even sooner, but not so here. If you really want your radishes, you'll end up with wet, muddy hands.
Next up, milk mostly comes in gallons or something. Gallons is what they measure crude oil in, in this county. That means it will go OFF before you can have half of it. Unless you have a huge milk-addicted family at home, that is.

Oh well, but other than that, everything is fine, of course...

Tag that Toilet

No chance of checking your make-up in that mirror in some SoHo bar.

Of the 12 exchange students in Cooper there are 3 Canadians and they are all good fun. Today was our first night out in Soho with cheap 'Papst' beer (which means pope beer in German and therefore kind of misses the point) and pool games. And graffiti toilets.

Good to know

Today was my first day at Cooper Union. Contrary to the poster above, everyone is really friendly. Confusingly so, coming from Saint Martins. Not that people aren't friendly there, it's just that, here, people remember who you are and take a real interest in you. Anyways, classes start next week and so far everything sounds very exciting. Each student has their own PHYSICAL post box. Like a real thing in a real room. For all the letters from the galleries and artists who want us to come to their show. Crazy.

Today was also the first time I actually fully soaked in the fact that I am in New York now. Staying with friends in Long Island for the first few days, that fact kind of escaped me. Today I had my first bagel in Manhattan, sitting outside of the cafe watching all the swooshy people rush past. Love it!