Travels of THB: Day 8: Kassel

Day 8: Kassel

Chorus member shoes are from a performance artist: supposedly made for women standing on their feet all day; the chorus members had to sign a waiver that they were only to be worn while working

Weather: Gorgeous!!

Quote of the Day: Conceptual art: work such that no one knows what is going on

Untouched by THB

Today is Thursday so THB is taking his methotextrate and reminding himself constantly that this is a no alcohol day.

Even though we were up late last night, THB and DB are up early and out: we’re climbing up to the vista point just below a statue of Hercules high up on the mountain. It’s very pretty and that statue is a long ways up the hill so we just take in the view and ignore the five cranes involved in reconstruction.

You put your jam in an edible mini-ice cream cone

Breakfast buffet: toast, apple, cereal and decaf cappuccinos.

Agnes Denes: Living Pyramid

The bus departs at 9:20 (the times are being adjusted frequently) and our first stop is to see a pyramid of flowers and plants in N. Kassel. After that it is a short ride to the empty back half of the main post office, full now with D14 exhibits.

Pile e Sapmo

screen of deer skulls, all shot as part of govt culling

Arin Rungjang

Dan Peterman ingots again

The group splits differently this morning: the 6 of us who want to use headsets while the guide speaks into a portable mic go together and the rest who are headset resistant are in the other group. THB loves the headsets because he likes to wander while being talked to, listening to the chorus member all the time.

An "old" building refurbished inside into a multitude of rooms and a hidden courtyard

Dieter the great curator joins us for lunch at Renthof and provides a running commentary in answer to the questions we throw out; very entertaining and informative!

Lunch: four different cold salads and four hot entrees and a chocolate mousse for dessert.

The tower with smoke coming out

In the afternoon we return to the main plaza and see a few minutes of a film by Ben Russell on gold miners, projected in an area underground in four very dark rooms.

D14 signage is an installation of its own: how to signify you're going down

From there we visit the Grimm Museum, focused on the Bros Grimm.

The D14 exhibit entails listening to a very interesting set of stories by the curator (a young Israeli) who explains the history behind the children’s books by a Freud relative, paintings on the walls found underneath a house, and a recreation by an artist of some of the Grimm Bros books. The curator’s stories are much better than the exhibit.

Tom, Sigmund Freud's niece, had a tragic life and was rediscovered after she committed suicide

Work from the exhibit; the story is so convoluted (and interesting) THB cannot unwind it to caption the pics correctly (without a lot of effort that can't be expended on so little sleep)

Part of the basement in Ukraine house now on display. Our curator, Itamar Gov, was part of the D14 negotiating team with the Ukranians

Drinks out front of the hotel (water for THB; $25) and dinner next door at Hohe Wache: Wiener Schnitzel for THB, flatbread pizza for DB, salad to share for THB and DB, salad and pasta for SC, and a glass of wine for DB and water for the table, $90 for three.