We’re a worldwide outfit here at CHUD, and today I wanted to share an interesting tidbit for our German chewers, or those in the neighborhood that aren’t still bummed out over that thing that happened that one time, and are willing to drop in. We received this little press release about a brand new art series called “KINO Satellite” that will be hosted at the new facility “Das Direktorenhaus” in Berlin. If the name isn’t enough to get you interested right away, just know that it’s an art space built in a joint that was used to house artworks in times of air-raid threats in WWII.
The series is a multi-media experience, but includes some animated documentaries and other video works, as well as a number of interesting artist appearances. Euro-chewers, check it out…
A New Cinema Series Begins 2 November 2010
On Tuesday the 2nd of November, film critic and distributor Andrew Grant, and producer, arts journalist, and programmer Pamela Cohn, will début their weekly screening series, KINO SATELLITE, at the recently opened Das Direktorenhaus, located in the Mitte district of Berlin. Grant and Cohn will be hosting shows in the newly-built micro-cinema every Tuesday evening, bringing programs of new, innovative and groundbreaking work from some of today’s most talented filmmakers, animators, and multi-media artists. The program will consist of original programming with an emphasis on the illustrative arts.
Das Direktorenhaus is a new art and performance space in Berlin, where a simulation of a temporary Gesamtkunstwerk, the total artwork, is being explored. Traditional methods are coupled with analogue technology and digital media, presenting an experimental directive with social resonances. Exhibitions play cat and mouse with preconceptions and break down the boundaries between art and design.
The owners of the gallery, Pascal Johanssen and Katja Kleiss, were looking to host a weekly screening series in their new space, a newly renovated two floor-gallery in the old State Mint building on Am Krögel, which overlooks the river Spree. Coincidentally, Grant and Cohn, who both recently relocated to Berlin from New York City, were looking for a space in which to showcase underrepresented and seldom-seen nonfiction, experimental and/or genre-breaking film, video and multi-media work. Das Direktorenhaus’ dedication and commitment to support such works made it the ideal venue.
Guest artists already booked for the first half of the autumn/winter season (2 November – 14 December) include:
· Alison Kobayashi, a Japanese/Canadian video and performance artist;
· Christopher Allen, creative director and founder of the Brooklyn, New York-based documentary collaborative, UnionDocs;
· Ken Jacobs, icon of the New York avant-garde scene;
· Zoran Solomun, Berlin-based director of the feature-length documentary, Super Art Market;
· A co-presentation with the Warsaw-based animation production house, Platige Image, with new works by Tomek Bagainski, Michal Socha, Krzysztof Rusinek and more;
· A co-presentation with DOK-Leipzig’s animation curator, Annagret Richter, bringing a show of new German animation and nonfiction animation films;
· A collaboration with Rotterdam-based WORM.kino;
· A night of animated documentaries, co-curated by Portland’s Erin Donovan, of A Million Movies a Minute;
· A show with London-based, Max Hattler, and much more!
The gallery’s doors will open at 19:30 each Tuesday evening, allowing KINO SATELLITE patrons the opportunity to enjoy a cocktail from the bar and tour the two-floor gallery space. Screenings will begin at 20:30 with the artists or other special guests in attendance at most screenings. Some events will include food prepared by some of Berlin’s up-and-coming innovative chefs and caterers. Entry to the shows is 5 Euros, which includes a complimentary glass of wine or beer.
About Direktorenhaus: The name Das Direktorenhaus, The Director’s House, dates back to when the building was part of the State Mint in Berlin-Mitte. Built in 1935, the wing’s well-secured vault was used during World War II to protect art works from Berlin’s state museums from the threat of bomb damage from air raids. Das Direktorenhaus is centrally located at 2 Am Krögel, between Alexanderplatz and the Nikolaiviertel, directly next to the river Spree with views of the old harbour. The facilities include an exhibition and clubroom, a bar, an exhibitions shop, and a 50-seat micro-cinema. Das Direktorenhaus is the latest project from gallery owners and Illustrative founders, Pascal Johanssen and Katja Kleiss. The Illustrative festival was started in 2006 and is considered to be the most important forum for contemporary illustration and graphic art in the world. Since 2009, Illustrative has published the art journal “Objects: Journal for Applied Arts.” Das Direktorenhaus functions as a permanent exhibition space for the neocraft art-versus-design debate, and is open Monday through Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm.
About the Creators of KINO SATELLITE: Pamela Cohn and Andrew Grant are both new to Berlin, having relocated from New York City. Cohn has a long career in producing animation, multi-media, installation, and CGI projects. She has been a documentary producer and filmmaker since 2003, and writes her own blog on nonfiction and experimental film called Still in Motion (http://stillinmotion.typepad.com/). She also writes for Hammer to Nail (http://www.hammertonail.com/), Senses of Cinema, DOX Magazine, BOMB and other art and film sites and publications. She is a freelance film curator and programs special strands for festivals in Finland, Syria and Kosova. Andrew Grant, aka Filmbrain, is a freelance film critic and writes his own blog, Like Anna Karina’s Sweater (www.filmbrain.com ). He also writes for UK-based Eye For Film, and the Independent Film Channel (IFC). He is the President of Benten Films (www.bentenfilms.com), a distribution company he runs with fellow critic and filmmaker Aaron Hillis. Together, Grant and Cohn are co-producing and co-curating KINO SATELLITE.