Absacker (noun): The last drink of the night.
Archive for the ‘German’ Category
German Word of the Day
In German on February 23, 2010 at 7:44 pmAbtrünnig (adj): Renegade, apostate, rebel.
Saturday Night Cinema: Fritz Lang’s M
In German, Movies on January 16, 2010 at 9:27 amJuice up the laptop, hop in your jammies, and fluff the pillows—-it’s time for Saturday Night Cinema!
M is a classic German thriller written and directed by Fritz Lang. M’s original German title, Eine Stadt Sucht Einen Mörder (A City Looks for a Murderer) was shortened to M (as in “murderer”) for English speaking audiences. Peter Lorre is brilliant as the disturbed child killer Hans Beckert and the film itself is as dark as it is engrossing.
Was Ist Das? Kunstwollen
In Art, German on December 29, 2009 at 4:51 pmWas Ist Das? is an ongoing feature that explores erudite German concepts, then breaks those concepts down to their nitty-gritty essence. Today’s concept is “Kunstwollen”.
Hoo boy, this is a tough one (even by German concept standards). First, let’s examine the root vocabulary of our word: “kunst” is “art” and “wollen” is the verb for “want”/”will”. Knowing our verbiage, we can safely assume that we’re dealing with some sort of art-related desire here. And indeed we are—the word is attributed to 19th century Viennese art historian, Alois Riegl.
For Riegl, Kunstwollen was a word that encapsulated the notion that the desire to create art is not only about the end product (the “art”), but comes from the innate human need to express oneself based on an individual’s historical context and worldview. In other words, an artistic urge exists in all of us, a built-in “will to form”, so to speak. Pretty cool, huh?
On the front steps of the Altes Museum in Berlin, a neon sign reads, “ALL ART HAS BEEN CONTEMPORARY”. Succinct and profound, this sentiment perfectly captures the spirit of Kunstwollen.
German Word of the Day
In German on October 27, 2009 at 8:40 amLängst Beschlossen (noun): Forgone conclusion.
Die Familie Schneider
In Art, German on October 6, 2009 at 12:17 pm
“This is the way, step inside…”
“Atrocity Exhibition”, Joy Division
Perhaps the ultimate in art installation experiments, German artist Gregor Schneider’s Die Familie Schneider (2004) is at once terrifying, fascinating, and shamefully voyeuristic. Schneider re-designed the interiors of two unassuming row houses (14 and 16 Walden Street) in the London suburb of Whitechapel. Decor gives way to creepy atmosphere—drab, Victorian-style interiors, distressed and depressed with the walls whispering, “something isn’t quite right in here”.
Schneider’s obsession with secret rooms and passageways were utilized to chilling effect.
Actors played the roles of a disinterested housewife who mindlessly washes dishes as god-knows-what occurs under her roof, a man, masturbating in the shower, and wait a minute….who’s that in the corner of the windowless bedroom? Oh, right. Some unlucky soul cowering underneath a trash bag. Nothing much going on here folks, move along, move along.
Wow, that sounds unbelievably disturbing—good thing you brought a friend, right? Wrong. Visitors to Die Familie Schneider were required to view in pairs: 14 and 16 Walden were identical copies of each other, including the actors (twins). One person viewed one house while their partner was in the other, then each person switched houses. In other words, double the moral reprehensibility, double the fun.
So what is Die Familie Schneider? A glorified haunted house paid for by the London Arts Council? Just another pretentious art installation designed for maximum shock value? Genius commentary on bourgeois, repressed, post-war British life? And finally, was the first visit to satisfy mere curiosity and the second, mere complicity?
photos: Gregor Schneider
Double Shot Tuesday! Kraftwerk Noir
In German, Music on September 8, 2009 at 11:42 amThe English and German versions of “The Telephone Call” (“Der Telefon Anruf”) from Kraftwerk’s underrated 1986 release, Electric Cafe.
German Word of the Day
In German on August 17, 2009 at 11:04 amKlassenfeind (noun): Enemy of the working class.
CONTEST TIME!!
In Contests, German, Music on August 8, 2009 at 10:30 amTWIRFMR has devised a competition so grueling, so relentlessly punishing in nature, that it makes the Ironman Triathalon look downright wimpy in comparison. The challenge? Watching/listening to the following five songs from 90′s German pop star, Blümchen. What’s the big deal about watching five music videos, you ask? Dear Reader, you just uttered your proverbial famous last words.
The Rules:
(1) Watch AND listen to all five videos consecutively, no breaks. If for some reason you need to leave your computer, you must start from the very beginning the next time around.
(2) After your viewing session, write an essay (short or long, doesn’t matter) describing your experience in detail. For example, at what point did suicide seem like the better option? Did you tear all your hair out or just portions? Or, were you strangely hypnotized by the sound of 190 bpm transmitting to your brain all at once? Will you ever be the same? There’s no wrong answer here, people.
(3) Email essays to: dleighmiad@gmail.com
Best essay wins…….a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate and publication in TWIRFMR! Wow! Contest ends at midnight (EST), August 31, 2009.
The songs are: Boomerang, Herz an Herz, Kleiner Sattelit, Bicycle, and Heut is Mein Tag.
Ready….Set…..GEHEN!!
