berlin berlin

i luv berlin. I ve been in there many times but still, so much to see.

EXPLORATION #5 – LISTEN IN: BERLIN

There are places you won’t find in a tourist’s guide. Underground bunkers and mysterious hilltop listening stations, built to intercept radio communications. Berlin’s abandoned relics from the days of espionage are everywhere, hidden in plain sight. We put our boots on and went exploring.

Factories of the imagination

As a testimony of the know-how and running process of those places, this work also deals with the issues of their urban, social, cultural and political inscription in order to emphasise how they can be useful to cultural action.

source

hongkong again

(ps.check the post -kowloon walled city-.)

In a hilly island city like Hong Kong, living space is limited. Here you only see the laboriously constructed huts made of corrugated iron and planks of wood in which the poorest of the poor live if you look upwards – they occupy, to put it in cynical terms, a penthouse location.

kowloon walled city

I saw some of those pictures before but i had no idea whats the problem of that area. Today i read so much things about this city and it s really amazing.

I will not tell you the history of it, its kind of boring. I ll tell just the end of it. Thats the interesting part.

……….Although the walled city was described as a hotbed of criminal activities, the daily lives of its dwellers were largely organized by the residents themselves, rather than by the Triad. Most residents were not involved in any crime and lived peacefully within its walls. Many charities and religious groups helped to improve the lives of residents. Schools and other welfare were being introduced to the district. Numerous small factories and businesses thrived inside the Walled City.HongKong also provided some services such as water and mail delivery in the city.

With the Triads weakened, the Walled City began to grow. Square buildings folded up into one another as thousands of modifications were made, virtually none by architects or engineers, until the entire City became monolithic. Labyrinthine corridors ran through the City, some former streets (at the ground level, and often clogged up with refuse), and some running through upper floors, through and between buildings. The streets were illuminated by fluorescent lights, as sunlight rarely reached the lower levels. There were only two rules for construction: electricity had to be provided to avoid fire, and the buildings could be no more than fourteen stories high, because of the nearby airport. Eight municipal pipes provided water to the entire structure (although more could have come from wells).

By the early 1980s, Kowloon Walled City had an estimated population of 35,000. The City was notorious for its excess of brothels, casinos, opium dens, cocaine parlours, food courts serving dog meat, and secret factories. The Kowloon Walled City was also infamous for its high number of unsanitary dentist clinics, since unlicensed dentists could operate there without prosecution.

for more information click

Urbex

Urbex is a term that i saw on internet, it is used for urban exploring and researching.  

While on my first trip to Berlin, about ~3 years ago,  i found an abonded-looking building. There was not anybody or any sign in the enterance. All the walls were covered in graffiti. In the second floor, there were rooms and some artists were using those rooms as their ateliers and also selling their works. I was really impressed. after that, i did some research and realised it s Tacheles that you can even find in a tourist guide(:     In following years, i went there in my every visit to Berlin.  We even talked with administration and got info about renting those rooms for exhibition. 

Whatever, the point that  i m trying to reach is the posession to abandoned buildings.  I always love to go in them when i saw one. when i realised the urban decay potential of europe, i ve searched those places wherever i went. 

Berlin is a kind of dream city in this respect. All of the city seems decayed to me actually. So you dont need to search but  according to my own experiences( i ve seen 98 cities but there are so many out there..) , Krakow would be my queen. The city is surrounding by many abandoned factories and they are just amazing. Because all of the machines etc s were left and there were so much things to see.  But do not go in winter. Days are too short so there is no sun light after ~4pm, cold is killing you, taking photos of models with coats is not aesthetic ( its like a winter coat collection shoting) 

 

tacheles

 

tacheles

 

 

this building was across the street of our flat. Those people are Igor and his friends. Igor is also a photographer and he helped us so much to find those places and models. by the way, another thing that i found interesting is they are living in the other part of the same building./krakow

 

Antalya/Turkey, i found an abandoned factory even in there(: ps.model's clothes are handmade(!) my hand! ok just the skirt.

 

urbex links:

http://www.urban-travel.org/documents/69.html

http://www.urbex-and-more.com/index.php

http://www.suspiciousminds.com/

http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/

 

[to be continued...]