The vibes

Paul and Tilo getting deep into computers at 2am

We had dimensions, (but apart from it not being a pristine gallery space) I didn’t know what to expect. my experience of working in industrial spaces has usually entailed clearing lots of pigeon shit - they're not my favorite spaces. I was pleasantly surprised however, it was an office in its former life and so quite intimate in scale - it had a really nice feel to it and they had done a little work. largely though the character of the place remained, some partitions were wood panel and glazed. Ok... So I have to apologise - I don’t have many pics. Apart from the fact that we only had one day to get it together, my camera also stopped working...

The space consisted of two rooms (the second not on this map) a corridor and a bridge. Our hosts were really generous and accommodating, especially Tilo who stayed up (virtually all night) during the installation. We were making an exhibition, but really if felt more like a marathon - not in a stressful way. In fact there was a certain level of ease about the situation, which made it fun. The Sübalkon group are serious about what they’re doing, (they invest a great deal of time, effort as well as money into the project) but because of the mix of people there isn’t the preciousness about status as a visual arts space. That stiff professionalism wasn’t around – I found this rather refreshing and empowering…

The Space

Sübalkon (located in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg) translates as South Balcony. Apart from the fact that there is a walkway on the complex, I think (I could be corrected here) that the name also refers to the position of Hamburg on the cultural map in Germany. Sübalkon is run by an association of artists, musicians, writers and techies (and more) and is what is referred to as an ‘off arts’ space in Germany. Through the collectives’ diversity the space has many guises, events are put on every weekend; live music, poetry, performance, discussions as well as art shows.

Located in the middle an industrial complex on Elbe island, the area reminds me very much of post-industrial sites/neighbourhoods in London - ready for the big cleanup. Wilhelmsburg is undergoing a huge regeneration initiative, there is always a level of insecurity for the inhabitants, what will be the future for the area, and will they be a part of it? In Germany (as in the UK) artists have now become the social face of these regeneration initiatives. In one respect it allows artists to eat and realise their ideas. In the other, the political and moral implications of these collaborations can be rather difficult to swallow. Recently the officially invited artists addressed an open letter to IBA- Hamburg in stimulate debate about the areas future.

We didn't have an 'official' invitation - we were more like graffiti…