Brian Kennedy/Belfast
Report on Stay in Gropiusstadt
I spent a very
fruitful and interesting three weeks in the flat in the early summer.
After arriving I started to explore the area both on foot and by bicycle. This
led me to finally knowing exactly where Gropiusstadt began and ended. I documented
this by starting outside the block of flats and cycling around the perimeter
photographing each street as I went.
My days in the flat started to fall into a pattern. I would get up and walk
around the area and at the same time think about my own work. Then I would take
the bicycle on the underground and spend some time cycling around the centre
of Berlin and visit museums and galleries. In the evenings I would sit out on
the balcony and write down thoughts and ideas.
One of the great advantages of being in the flat in Gropiusstadt was having
time by myself to just think about my work. On a practical side it was while
there that I started to think about making a large installation that would incorporate
aspects of German Romanticism and Symbolism. My stay allowed me the luxury of
visiting the museums and then thinking through ideas. Since returning I have
been able to find a venue for this installation at the new Millennium Court
gallery. The gallery and I have received substantial funding from the Arts Council
of Northern Ireland to create and show this new work.
Meeting other artists, travelling to the German Polish boarder to see an exhibition,
looking at the what other artists had done during their stay were all interesting.
The most important thing for me however was to simply have the time to think,
look and work in an undisturbed atmosphere.