INTERFACE
Visual art exhibitions and events with a platform for critical writing
REVIEW
The building of a one night house….
Alexander Platz, Berlin
7 - 8 June 2008
Reviewed by: mary kate connolly
As the gritty city heat of midsummer lapsed into stale dusk last eve, the inhabitants of Berlin magnetically grouped into tight groups at pavement cafes. With the fixed stares of guinea pigs in fiendish sensory experiments, they appeared first motionless, then enraged, then consumed with an ardour that threatened to burst from within their cool summer garb and claw impeccable continental manners to impassioned shreds; this ladies and gentlemen was the Euro 2008 kick off…Somewhere amid the frenzy, with residents and law enforcers alike hypnotised by the great pacifier that is European football, a mottled band of artists and others gathered in central Berlin to receive orders and rough wooden pallets, and to embark on the nocturnal journey that was to be Caban Unnos, the build of a one night house by the artists No Fixed Abode. I confess that whilst I had found that afternoon’s public debate on Caban Unnos interesting, it perhaps fell a little disappointingly short of revelatory. The twin pitfalls of intense summer heat and the inevitable oneness of vision of the assembled group made for a convivial, but at times surface, chat. I willed for a few pagans amid the converted but few raised their argumentative heads. Thus issues pertaining to the core ethos of the project- and the fateful question ‘Is it art or object?!’- blurted out by one agent provocateur hung torturously in the air, awaiting an answer that never came. I made my way to Alexander Platz with a fellow writer at 11pm, musing on the chances of Caban Unnos successfully reaching completion without falling victim to either police or football hooligans. Having searched unsuccessfully the open expanses, which were filled with raucous revellers, we picked our way through the wooded area of the platz. Finally, peering through the gloom, we were rewarded with the exciting vision of a mini- building site swarming with workers who hammered, toiled and spurred the skeleton of an unorthodox dwelling skyward. Tall enough to stand and with a roof ready to be lifted into place, the building seemed already near completion. Water cooler bottles were stacked from the ground up to form one wall and lashed into place with white chord. A nifty architectural feature this, as the wall of water and plastic will be warmed by the sun by day, and retaining its warmth, provide a heating system by night. This detail did seem, Tony Broomhead the architect now admits, more relevant in the chilly surroundings of Sheffield where he first developed the design! Once the roof had been placed atop the walls, there was the final task of building a fire oven. With the aid of bricks, cement and a long metal encasement for a chimney, a bricked hearth in which to burn wood was crafted, and a metal tray suspended above it upon which to bake. Simple. Effective. It was soon after this triumph however, that rays of yellow torchlight wielded by two uniformed policeman pierced the surrounding darkness and severed activity. A hush fell. Horatio and Terry, their official reflective waistcoats glowing a subversive pink in the light halo, conversed politely with the policemen. Activity was resumed in a self consciously official and assured manner. A New Life Berlin pamphlet was produced. Smiles all round, the policemen retreated into the dark, with a promise to return and inspect the good work when they were off duty. And so it was back to the business of the fire and the chimney and the smoke. In my slim contribution to the night’s labours, I scrunched up newspaper into sticks which Horatio placed alongside gathered twigs in the fireplace. A lighter was produced, and soon after, a triumphant cheer rang out as the first curlews of smoke made their tentative passage through the night air. It was official – the ancient tradition of Wales, contemporary landscape of Alexander Platz and artistic endeavour of Caban Unnos had mingled successfully together in this one night house-warming at 3.20am, central Berlin. Standing in the quirky cosiness of the structure, as a shy speech was delivered by the artists, I was given to musing upon the questions which had, in this afternoon’s discussion, remained so frustratingly unanswered. Art or Object? Product or Process? Certainly some interesting social dynamics had been laid bare in this artistic social experiment. I for example, had displayed a marked reluctance to ‘muck in’ and a penchant for hanging back from the fray – a stark contrast to the dynamism and hard graft displayed by some of my compatriots in Caban Unnos. Yet despite my pitiful physical contribution, I felt a swell of pride to have been involved in this test-tube community. The Caban Unnos house was aesthetic, homely and created by collective toil. This product did not spring forth from the ether fully formed, but instead evolved before us, and because of us. It surprised me, teased questions from me and deftly illuminated the power of community and vision. I left Alexander Platz at 3.30am, with the first streaks of dawn staking claim on a dark sky, and evocative wafts of wood smoke drifting past the neon signs and flashy window displays. When I awoke a precious four hours later, I had the giddy desire to run straight back there as the child who wakes bleary eyed on Christmas morning must check that the stocking which glinted in the dead of night was not a dream….
Postscript: Christmas comes but once a year…at 6am on the 8th of June, the Caban Unnos structure was dismantled on the orders of a longer arm of the law than had previously been tousled with…it was truly, a one-night house.
This text was developed as part of the Open Dialogues: New Life Berlin critical writing initiative http://www.wooloo.org/opendialoguesblog/
Writer detail:
Mary Kate Connolly is a freelance writer and movement practitioner based in London
Venue detail:
Alexander Platz
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