Last night I woke in the middle of the
night to hear a scratching noise. I flicked on the light. It was coming from
the wardrobe… a mouse? No! Please no. No – it’s coming from the corner… what IS
IT? This went on for a comical 5 minutes as I dashed about the room in my
underpants unable to detect the source of the sound as the sound started to increase
in intensity. I looked up just in time to
dodge the falling lampshade. It had slowly ripped off the frame – how will I
explain this?
In the morning I had an appointment at the
Boros Bunker. This was a difficult appointment to secure as I had not planned well
enough in advance and when I realized I had to make a booking the website
showed that they were booked out until the end of July.
The Sammlung Boros is a private collection
of contemporary work owned by the Boros Family. They started collecting in the
early 90s but had nowhere to house and show the work. They looked for a long
time to find a suitable place.
This bunker is the most weird and incredible
building in itself. It was essentially a bomb shelter for citizens but it is
entirely above ground. The reason for this is that Hitler wanted the people to
see the building and for it to make them feel safe. This was a misconception on
his part as despite its fortitude it is, in effect, a monument to fear. In
order for it to withstand a bombing, the walls are 3m thick with concrete and
rebar. This depth meant little to me until I saw a section of the ceiling that
the Boros family had had to cut out to make allowances for access to their home
(that they built on the roof). 3m is a great deal of concrete.
A similar bomb shelter was directly hit by
a bomb in another area of Berlin and the worst physical implications to the
people inside were a temporary loss of hearing and some bleeding noses. In this
bunker we can see another staircase innovation: scissor staircases. The
ceilings are low and yet calculating the angle at which the stairs run between
the floors, the engineers were able to install two staircases (one above the
other, per floor) I’m still not entirely sure how this works but although you
could see the two levels of stairs – there was still enough headroom. The idea
is that double the capacity of people can enter the bunker in an emergency.
After marveling at the design we are told that it is a direct imitation of a
concept designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Wow.
After the war the Russians used the bunker
as a prison and after the Berlin wall came down it was a venue for raves and
fetishistic sex parties until the council shut it down (there was little
ventilation, few exits and no toilet facilities) which made it dangerous for
the extreme activities going on inside. At this time it went up for private
sale and soon after the Boros family ‘salvaged’ it. The walls themselves tell a
hundred stories from the original phosphorescent painted arrows to the fluoro
graffiti from the 90s parties. I would hazard a guess that many of the artists
who exhibit there now had been there before as part of the edgy Berlin 90s scene.
And I haven’t even begun to talk about the
art… so cool! All the works are challenging and cover a range of themes such as
the big bang, utopia, parallel universes and the possibility of 11 dimensions.
It is such a mind fuck. I love it. As we near the third level we can smell
something cooking… is it popcorn? Our guide smiles and asks us to wait and see.
It IS popcorn - a cart that has been
popping corn since the artwork was installed – in May 2012. It is in a large
room and it is FULL of popcorn – we are encouraged to step in it – to climb to
the top and grab a fresh piece to eat if we like! Oh my kids would LOVE this.
There is also a work by Ai Wei Wei here –
it is a tree but it has been recreated from hundreds of trees – the wood
collected from all over China and pieced together here. Ai Wei Wei is still not
permitted to leave China – so assistants installed it.
It is the home of the Boros family
and only 12 English speakers are permitted every 90 mins and only 3 days a week. Our guide reiterates that we are, in effect, walking around in the family's basement.
I met a lovely couple from England who took
me to a great café for lunch and directed me to a good shopping spot in the
afternoon where I stocked up on gifts and bought myself a very expensive pair
of shoes… trippen.
Tonight I dined in an Indian restaurant which has been tempting me for days with a beautiful aroma… this is to show you what €10 can get you in Berlin. My bill actually came to €12 as I had a lovely glass of Riesling to accompany it. Needless to
say I barely made a dent in this lavish array – nor did I intend to order so
much – it was simply a set menu for one. Wishing I could share this meal with my
nearest and dearest.
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