Melissa Muys wonderful world

I met Melissa Muys in Damme near Bruges in Belgium. She was exhibiting her paintings in a small gallery and we got to talking. I was very fascinated by her paintings. They depicted creatures with animal and human features. At the same time, they were painted in such detail that they came to life before my eyes. And each of Melissa’s creatures had its own little story. This made the exhibition all the more interesting.

No wonder Melissa is now working on her first children’s book. Her concept is great, and I’m sure the new work will also be a success. Good luck, Melissa!

Preface by Melissa Muys:

How kings butter their buns, where priests get their holy water or which wine the prime minister preferred with his piece of game, is certainly mentioned somewhere in the chronicles.

But what about common people? What do we know about them? How did they live the past centuries? That knowledge has often been lost. This heritage cell will change that in the future.

You can read these stories divergently; enjoying the banality of everyday life. You can marvel at the openness of a people. You can laugh at their foolishness, be amazed at their survival instinct and watch them wallow in their situation and continue to wallow, how they struggle with life, adapt to circumstances just to stay afloat and be part of the society we  live in.

You can also search for a deeper insight. After all, history is viewed here for the first time from a completely different point of view. These are no longer the scientists or the politicians to tell how society works. No, this is the people, ordinary simple people who are in the middle of life and share their experiences with you.

A vision is never rigid, everything is coloured, there are always different angles from which to illuminate. Life, history, society is made up of puzzled pieces. All those pieces click together, complement each other. It just comes down to finding the right click.

Culture grows and flourishes, where all the pieces touch, where one complements the other.

These stories reflect the society and generation in which we live.

Culture is the foundation of our identity.

The matter that is close to my heart as a professor is not unequivocal and evokes a lot of friction. For many years I was an absolute advocate in preserving traditional cultures. That is how this heritage cell came about. Yet I would like to emphasize that the quest for balance is the key to succes. Culture of all kinds are the foundation of our identity. That is precisely why evolution and change of that culture is inevitable and necessary.

The swimmer

Together with my father I crossed the Amazon. We visited village after village. Every community had its own knowledge, own rites and beliefs. The outside world scoffed these cultures and depicted it as retarded. Those who did not disappear into the shadow of the Amazon forest, westernized and lost the knowledge that was passed on from generation to generation and what remained in the end? Now more than ever before social media swallows every piece of personality and waltzes over us in unity march. Popular songs, photos and movies supplant any form of folklore. 

Until recently I was deeply convinced that individuality was of the utmost importance. But what about the problem of integration in the case of large population movements due to war or poverty? To what extend does culture play an important role here? Should folklore be preserved at all costs?  Tie-up may not be an option after all. Culture evolves.

When it doesn’t, we alienate from society. Remember the Mormons, the shaker community, communities of conservative faith. Changes are part of life. You cannot freeze time and the once that are not able to change opinions come to a death end at one time. Insight teaches that the quest for balance is vital. 

You should agree that these comments are something to think about? 

About my mom Sorina

Although I am very grateful that she fled her homeland and made our lives much easier, I can only say that my mother was a tyrant. She was actually a perfect publicity board for the state in which she was raised; the land she spit out all her life.

She fled at night. On a freezing winter night she waded through the cold glacial waters of the river right there where the river is at its widest and the chances of survival of a crossing were considered nil. But my mother pulled it off, all on her own. She undressed on the other side, took dry clothes from the bag she had tied on top of her head, and stepped into a new life.

I was her oldest child and only daughter. After me came Christopher and Samuel. But all she really cared about was making money, getting out of the pit of poverty.

And it must be said, she succeeded.

Our mother founded „Sorina ways“, a transport company, with the help of our father. She conducted and our father delivered, in the most impossible places. Sometimes he was on the road for days.

I had two brothers. Christopher and Samuel. Both had a difficult childhood. Christopher is a gorgeous guy, he loves beauty but suffers from social anxiety disorder. 

„Samuel knows no fear but resolutely turned away from society and lives in isolation.“ 

Professor D. Kabriç

Professor D. Kabriç

„At night, devoid of all light
awakens my soul.
She frees herself from the lumpy flesh
and dances across the room.
Silky fabric wraps around my arms
as if the silk itself seeks security
It sticks to my spine
and tickles my legs.
A dreamy pirouette,
a breath of wind
The dust blows up
and embraces me again, and again, and again.
Devoid of all light, I feel the tangible existence of my body.“

Christopher Transala

Samuel

My name is Sam, short for Samuel.

Samuel

I am a fisherman. The raging sea is what I adore: to feel the struggle between life and death in all your limbs.  Back then I didn’t care if I had a good catch. The thinning, the tossing, the being washed over by high cold waves, the feeling of being alive! Ooh, how I miss this, now being old!

Women and booze have never appealed to me. I loved the silence, the whispering winds, the far-reaching views, and certainly not the drunken talk or affection of searching women.

Then one day the lighthouse was for sale.  I thought, this one is for me! Here I can spend my days in seclusion. I will enjoy the foggy nights, when the clouds embrace me and the wind sings to me….

But as I sit here and think back fondly on my time at sea, I wonder if I made the wrong choice. Maybe one day I should have just set sail to never return. 

Sorina

I’m Sorina, I’m from Transpartania, but I’ve lived here almost all my life. I fled. I had to leave, I wanted to live, I wanted adventure and I wasn’t going to find that in Transpartania.

Sorina

My country is screaming stop! Don’t come any further traveller! This is the end, a little further and you will fall off!

Fleeing west, I couldn’t take much. All extra ballast was left behind. Three small perfume bottles was all I took. Two of them survived the journey. Perfume was the center of our existence for my family. We, women have a particularly well-developed nasal organ. From far and wide people came to buy my mother’s aroma blends.

Perfume was an important commodity in our region. A weekly bath was non existing. Overhere we would rather call it a summer bath. A dip in the river often had to suffice to maintain hygiene, then you understand that wrapping yourself in fresh aromas became not just a luxury, but of pure necessity. The whole village depended on my mother’s aroma sales. Some went into the mountains in search of special flowers, others were involved in drying flowers and herbs. In better times, the bottle industry itself flourished.

But our country is barbaric, and whenever our business was doing well, it would surely be destroyed by another conflict, a village war, a blockade of roads, destruction of buildings. 

Again and again we had to start from scratch. That weighs and one day it’s too much.

Gaston De Meaurain

My name is Gaston De Meaurain. I was born in January 1908, in a completely different world!

Gaston

When I was about ten years old, towards the end of the war, a French plane crashed near our village. We tended the pilot and hid him from the enemy.

In the early 1920s, I decided to visit that pilot in France. He was a cousin of René Caudron, the founder of the aircraft factory in Crotoy. In gratitude for my help during the war, I was given shelter in their home. I got a job in the factory, got to know René better and was given the possibility to join the flight school. It was a fantastic time. Pilots from all over the world came to Crotoy. They were prepared here as an elite corps of the flying fleet, and then there was me, a son of a West Flemish farmer, who for some reason got acces to everything.

I continued to work for René in Crotoy until he decided to withdraw from the Caudron-Reunault partnership in 1939.

When World War II started,  all activity stopped in Crotoy. I secretly tinkered with a plane using pieces left behind in the old warehouse. When the war ended, my plane was ready. I said goodbye to René and took off with my first test flight. I was euphoric. No one thought I would get that old box up in the air!!!!

I ran out of petrol somewhere above Antwerp, so I landed on a field. Even before I had come to a good stop, Sorina stood there. She spoke Romanian, had fled Transpartania.

At flight school I learned a mouthful of Romanian. Meeting Sorina defined the rest of my life. We set up a transport company. With my plane I flew all over Europe, to the most remote places. The adventure I had dreamed of all my life became a reality thanks to the strength of my wife.

Basil

Oh God, My name is Basil. I spent my childhood in the States, but returned to my roots. My mother left here by boat to America in the late 1930s, in search of a better life. All my life I heard her tell about her life in Europe and her boat trip on the red star lines.

Basil

When I visited here, I felt like coming home. And of course meeting Christopher also helped. I never left.

Christopher needed me, so I had to stay …

I’ve been a costume designer for the theater all my life. A fantastic job! Very beautiful years … Christopher likes to dress up, especially in my feminine designs. I now also make them especially for him. He still doesn’t really wear them outside, but on special occasions, when the evening twilight blurs the contrasts, he ventures into the public eye. He walks so gracefully in high heels. You should see that! He chooses a dress and I get to do his make-up. Delicious!

More pictures by Melissa and her fascinating world:

Meet Melissa on Instagram!

Sousse, Tunisia, Street Art

Tozeur Medina, South Tunisia, Street Art

Virtual travel with ChatGPT: A Zest Ful online experiment.

A new project by Clare Ann Matz.

There is a German word for „longing for a place you’ve never been to“,  the word is „Fernweh“, and although impossible to translate to other languages, it perfectly describes the state of my mind and soul for two long pandemic years.

My name is Zest, and I am a virtual traveler that couldn’t stand being pinned down during the COVID-19 lockdown and spent hours upon hours exploring the world with the help of internet, reading about far away locations and pouring over photographs and videos, as well as studying the opportunities offered by the latest in technology: AI (Artificial Intelligence).

Zest is a virtual traveler.

 As a travel enthusiast, I want to share all this incredible information with my readers while experimenting with the cutting-edge technology offered by AI to better understand the relationship between human and machine knowledge.

Therefore I have decided to hand over the task of creating the „Impossible Traveler“ travel blogposts to ChatGPT, following an itinerary previously created and investigated.

Uncharted territory

Zest in the Canyon.

So, I am is now virtually travelling around the world and sharing my stories and pictures with the travel blog  „Impossible traveler“ which is a term that can used in various contexts with different interpretations.
In some cases, it could refer to a traveler who is facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles or difficulties in their travels. In other cases, it might refer to someone who is traveling to impossible or imaginary places, either in reality or in their imagination. In still other contexts, the term might be used to describe someone who is a time traveler, traveling to the past or future.

Zest on the Beach.

And finally, „Impossible travel“ is when a user logs into the World Wide Web from different locations faster than humanly possible. Impossible travel detections track information such as GPS address, IP address, or user’s device to pinpoint users‘ location and determine whether a behavior was physically possible. If not, it could indicate that an adversary is attempting to infiltrate an environment.

I am Zest Ful online, an Impossible Traveler by all definitions. So if some of my destinations seem improbable, if not impossible, worry not, we are simply infiltrating unknown territories, who knows where we will end up. I can only hope you will be there to share the moment with me!

Zest in the City.

On top of discovering wonderfully interesting and stunningly beautiful locations, I have also incorporated in the „Impossible Traveler“ website pages dedicated to foodies from around the world (with some recipes), recommended reading about different countries and cultures with great books, and last but not least, a page dedicated to singing duets with people from all over the world (yes, this is interactive for you to join in and have fun, all you need to do is click on the links) with the free App Smule!

Zest started 2023 with a new online project.

I understand some people are worried about ChatGPT for a number of reasons. One of the main concerns is that the technology could be used to spread misinformation or propaganda. Because ChatGPT is capable of generating text that is similar to what a human might write, there is a risk that it could be used to create fake news stories or other forms of disinformation that are difficult to detect.

Zest in a 5 Star Hotel.

Another concern that some artists, photographers, writers, and musicians have with ChatGPT is related to copyright infringement. Because ChatGPT is capable of generating text, it could potentially be used to create works of art, music, or writing that are similar to existing works but not identical. This raises questions about who owns the copyright to these new works and whether they constitute a violation of intellectual property rights.

Finally, there are concerns about privacy and data security. Because ChatGPT requires large amounts of data to train effectively, there is a risk that personal information could be leaked or misused. Additionally, there are concerns about the potential misuse of the technology by bad actors, such as cybercriminals.

My vision is to slowly depart from the known world and embark on a journey into uncharted territory of imagination and creativity. With the use of Artificial Intelligence, we (I and AI) aim to map this new frontier, unlocking its vast potential and exploring its many wonders. By combining the power of technology with the boundless possibilities of the human mind, we hope to create and illustrate a world of endless discovery and innovation, where the impossible becomes possible, and the future is shaped by the power of imagination.

Zest in a Recording Studio.

Join me on this journey as we virtually visit destinations and discover their unique beauty and culture together! Let’s see where the machine leads us, and I am curious to see how it answers to the deeper questions of human emotions, fear, excitement, awe and longing. Can a computer possibly express Fernweh?

As American author Philip K. Dick once asked „Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?“

Link to Homepage: https://zestfulonline.wixsite.com/impossible-traveler
Link to Blog page:  https://zestfulonline.wixsite.com/impossible-traveler/blog

How does Zest interact with AI ChatGPT?

ChatGPT, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a natural language processing model that uses deep learning algorithms to generate human-like responses to text-based queries.

At a high level, ChatGPT works by analyzing large amounts of text data and learning how to predict the next word or sequence of words in a given context. This is done through a process called unsupervised learning, where the model is trained on a large corpus of text data without any explicit labels or annotations.

Once trained, ChatGPT can be fine-tuned on specific tasks or domains to further improve its performance. 

When Zest inputs a query or message, ChatGPT uses its learned knowledge to generate a response that is most likely to be relevant and informative. This response is generated based on the context of the input query as well as the model’s learned knowledge of language structure and meaning.

In other words when Zest talks to ChatGPT, it uses what it learned to come up with a response that sounds like something a person might say. It looks at the words Zest typed in and tries to figure out what they mean, and then it uses what it learned to come up with a response.

BIC Art Meditations

Jan Fabre BIC Art Installation, Belgium. Photo: Clare Ann Matz

by guest author Clare Ann Matz

My first encounter with art created by BIC pen was when I interviewed the Belgium artist Jan Fabre during his first Italian solo show at the Centro Pecci in Prato, Italy in 1994 for the cultural TV program I was hosting on SuperChannel London named „BlueNight“.

The impact and beauty of his installation, completely created by blue ball pen scribbles and insects was overwhelming. Jan explained that he had been inspired by his grandfather, who collected insects. His initial biro drawing efforts appear to have started when he tried to mimic the movement of an insect moving over the page of his sketchbook as a young child.

Decades passed until recently I came across BIC art again. As I was waiting on board of a flight for take off I came across an article about the creation of the BIC contemporary art collection.

Inspired by a Flight Magazine: Clare Ann Matz.

This collection consists of more than 250 pieces by internationally recognized or upcoming artists. The works of art all have a point in common: They have been created with or inspired by BIC products. And having looked into some of the art work I wanted to know more about the tool itself. An amazing instrument which is available to artists around the world at a very, very low price.

Here are some historic facts they impressed me about the BIC pen:

Technical details of the BIC pen. Photo: Clare Ann Matz

The ball-point pen invented by Hungarian newspaper editor Lazlo Biro in 1931 made major improvements over the fountain pens of the time. Biro’s ballpoint pen consisted of three components: The steel outer casing, the ink cartridge, and ball-point tip. Biro noticed that newspaper ink dried much faster than the fountain pen ink and lead to less smudging  He worked with chemists to develop a new type of fast-drying ink based on the newspaper ink that could be used with pens.

The problem was that this ink was a high viscosity fluid that made it unusable with fountain pens since it couldn’t flow between the ink cartridge and the tip. To overcome this issue, Biro invented the ball-point tip. The tip consisted of a ball and socket joint and a tiny tube that connected with the ink cartridge. Just like with fountain pens, ink would fall through the tube due to gravity, but this time it would fall on top of the steel ball. Then as the tip of the pen slid along the paper, the ball would roll and distribute the ink that lay on top into the paper (from History of Pens, 2018).

BIC pen art by Clare Ann Matz.

Where the magic flows: The Cupper Ball Holder 

The cupper ball holder is a small metallic piece that houses the metal ball. It is made up of a conical shape and a cylindrical shape. The conical shape is hollow on the inside to fit the ball but narrow at the tip so that the ball does not fall out. 

As a multimedia artist I decided to give BIC art a try, and started by drawing a few fantasy figures, just to test the technique. I soon discovered that it looks a lot easier than it actually is. Fortunately I found several useful tutorials by Nigerian artists (who are absolutely masters in BIC art) and began to tackle still life and then portraits, and ultimately hyperrealistic portraits.

Now I use several different pens to create different effects, as each pen varies in size, ink flow and ink colour. After sketching the basics with a pencil and checking dimensions I start filling in the shadows, working lighter and lighter as I go on.

Many of the artists I have seen on internet work adding layers (the technique is called „hatching“) from light to dark, but having worked extensively in the past in creating Russian Icons, with traditional egg tempera colour, I learned to go from dark to light, as a spiritual practice of moving out of darkness and into the light. Therefore I have adopted this technique in my BIC art and do my hatching with progressively lighter, wider strokes. 

The important thing to remember when creating images with a ball point pen is that the lines cannot be erased. Once down … there forever; in some ways it is similar to tattoos.

„Sandro“ by Clare Ann Matz.

So, as I continue to study the fast paced world of AI (artificial intelligence) creating artwork, music, writing and NFTs (and soon videos), I can now counterbalance this hectic medium with patience (each portrait takes about 2 weeks to create), silent, meditative BIC art.

And get lost in the depths of the shades of my favourite soothing colour, BLUE.

My signature touch is to finalize the portraits with colourful acrylic backgrounds, to bring out the subject’s personality and emotional environment.

Masterwork with BIC pens.

MainWeinKunst 2022 ein voller Erfolg

Was ehrenamtliches Engagement bewirkt zeigt Randersacker mit seinem 5. Kunstfest

Nach über zwei Jahren erwachte Randersacker endlich wieder aus seinem Dornröschenschlaf. Zum fünften Mal verschaffte MainWeinKunst der kleinen Marktgemeinde knapp 5.000 Besucher aus nah und fern. Die Organisatoren Simone Doll-Gerstendörfer, Hermann Oberhofer und Ernst Weckert haben sich in bekannt traditioneller Weise seit einem Jahr alle Mühe gegeben, um an die Erfolge der Vorjahre anzuknüpfen. „Trotz Urlaubszeit hatten wir zahlreiche Gäste. Am Sonntag kamen auch viele Randersackerer, um ihren Ort zu feiern. Das zeigt mal wieder, dass unser ehrenamtliches Engagement auch bei der Lokalbevölkerung viel Zustimmung hat“, betont Oberhofer. „Bemerkenswert war, dass ich mit dem irischen Künstler Brian Fitzgibbon in der katholischen Kirche ausstellen durfte. Die Bilder und Skulpturen im Alltagsraum passten wunderbar zum Gesamtensemble.“ 

Wiederbelebter Flecken

„Toll war auch die Wiederbelebung unseres ‚Flecken‘, dem zentralen Platz im Ort“, ergänzt Sprecherin Doll-Gerstendörfer. „Wir arbeiteten unter erschwerten Bedingungen ein ganzes Jahr gemeinsam mit acht Winzern, weiteren Ausstellern sowie Künstlern an der Umsetzung unseres beliebten Festivals. Immer wieder gab es Unsicherheiten wegen möglicher Corona-Bestimmungen und wie diese sich auf das Fest auswirken würden“, ergänzt sie. Umso glücklicher waren nun Winzer und insgesamt 19 Kunstschaffende, als das Fest mit einer fulminanten Eröffnungszeremonie am Samstagnachmittag begann. Bürgermeister Michael Sedelmayer lobte den royalen Touch durch die Randersackerer Weinprinzessin Teresa König, die Gänsehautmomente, verursacht durch die faszinierende Luftnummer von Luisa Gerstendörfer und die Akrobatik der Akronauten. 

„Besonders gut hat mir gefallen, dass die Rathauswiese durchgehend mit Akrobaten, Jongleuren und Musik bespielt war. Das hat den Eingangsbereich unseres Festivals gehörig aufgewertet“, sagt Bildhauer Klaus Gerstendörfer.

Feuershow und Akrobatik unter dem Nachthimmel

Nach Einbruch der Dunkelheit verzauberte die Feuershow der Jongleure des Circus Knirps den Himmel über dem Kirchplatz. Auf den Straßen des Marktfleckens heizten die Straßenmusikanten von HCC und die Trancas‘ Trabanten den Besuchern ordentlich ein. 

Auch an Familien war gedacht: Am Sonntag gab es Akrobatik und Jonglieren zum Mitmachen auf der Rathauswiese, was besonders bei den Kindern hoch im Kurs stand. 

Die Winzerhöfe im Altort überboten sich selbst: Ines Segelhorst aus Oldenburg war von der Kellerführung im Weingut der Trockenen Schmitts begeistert. „In die sehenswerten Weingutskeller kommt man sonst nicht so einfach hinein“, erklärt das Winzerpaar Bärbel und Bruno Schmitt und bezeichnet MainWeinKunst als beste Marketing-Veranstaltung für Randersacker. „Der riesige Organisationsaufwand der Verantwortlichen wurde durch die vielen Gäste belohnt!“

Auch Winzerin Sandrine Heimig ist begeistert: „Zum ersten Mal haben wir als noch junges Weingut unsere Tore geöffnet. Wir waren überwältig vom positiven Feedback unserer Gäste und haben uns sehr über den regen Zuspruch und die tolle Stimmung gefreut.“ Christoph Schädels Werke wurden gern mit einem Glas Wein in der Hand betrachtet. „Unbedingt wollen wir weiterhin mit ihm arbeiten und ihn näher ans Haus binden. Wir freuen uns sehr auf die nächste Veranstaltung.“

Künstler und Winzer überboten sich selbst

Ganz klar, dass auch der französische Partnerort Vouvray mit von der Partie war. Joachim Müller, Urlauber aus Düsseldorf, lobte seinen hervorragenden Sekt, der im Altort ausgeschenkt wurde. 

Vor der Corona-Pandemie eröffnete Maria Sommer-Schneider ihre Galerie. Lange war es ruhig gewesen, doch zum Kunstfestival kamen jede Menge Besucher. „Ich war total überrascht und freute mich über den Ansturm“, sagt die Fotografin. Darüberhinaus zogen Häppchen kombiniert mit Schoppen oder Kaffee und Kuchen die Gäste zu den Vernissagen. „Die Mühe und das Bangen haben sich gelohnt“, sagt Ernst Weckert, der als Künstler und Grafiker auch für die Flyer zuständig war. 

6. MainWeinKunst 2024

In zwei Jahren wird es wieder soweit sein. MainWeinKunst wird dann in sechster Auflage stattfinden, falls nicht wieder etwas dazwischen kommt. Die Artisten wollen jedenfalls alle wieder dabei sein, wie sie betonen. Ein besonderes Lob zollten die Trancas‘ Trabanten dem Weinort: „Ihr wisst schon, dass wir normalerweise nur auf Mittelalterfesten spielen. Das will schon was heißen, dass wir schon zum zweiten Mal in Randersacker sind!“ schmunzeln sie. Ein drittes Mal scheint daher sehr wahrscheinlich.

Tinguely in Basel

Museum Tinguely
Paul Sacher-Anlage 2
CH-4002 Basel
Switzerland
Phone: +41 616819320

I recently visited the Museum Tinguely in Basel. It is an art museum that shows the life and works of the artist Jean Tinguely (1925 – 1991) in a permanent exhibition. Especially if you are interested in mechanics, kinetics, machine-like sculptures and movement in art, this is the place for you. The museum was opened on October 3, 1996.

In addition to a permanent exhibition, there are also temporary guest exhibitions by Tinguely’s friends or well-known artists.

Jean Tinguely was a Swiss painter and sculptor of the Nouveau Réalisme. He is considered one of the main representatives of kinetic art.

The museum is located in Solitudepark on the right bank of the Rhine and is a gift from F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Swiss multinational healthcare company) to the city and region of Basel on the occasion of the company’s 100th anniversary. 

At the same time as visiting the museum, I recommend the city to you for sightseeing, strolling and eating out. Basel is always worth a visit.

Social Media-Potpourri in Saarbrücken

Blogger, Influencer und Co.? Schon mal was von der Fancy Pop-up Gallery in Saarbrücken gehört? Nein? Ich war vor Ort, habe geschaut und gestaunt. Für Menschen, die das Besondere suchen oder auch nur einen ganz speziellen Rahmen für das eigene und außergewöhnliche Selfie ist die Location das Nonplusultra.

40 Motive auf 2.500 Quadratmeter warten darauf, von Euch entdeckt und geshootet zu werden. Das liebevoll genannte „Fancy“ gehört zu den größten Pop-up-Museen Deutschlands. Alle Dekos, Glitter und Glimmer sind nach Gusto begehbar. Während meines Besuches ließ es sich eine Gruppe von Frauen nicht nehmen, vor pinken Flamingos, einem überdimensionalen Leberkäsbrötchen oder vor einer XXL-Flugzeugturbine zu modeln. Begleitet von Gelächter, Tipps und viel Spaß, denn aufregend ist ein Trip ins Reich der Fantasie auf jeden Fall.

Oder wollt Ihr Teil eines erfolgreichen Banküberfalls werden? Kein Problem, denn es gibt Unmengen an Geldscheinen zum fotoreifen Ablichten. Habt Ihr Appetit auf Donut und Co.? Kunterbunt werden die Zuckersachen im Riesenformat zum Knipsen angeboten.

Die romantische Blümchenschaukel zieht nicht nur Flower Power-Fans an. Und die Pan Am-Lounge weckt bei Vielfliegern Erinnerungen an längst vergangene Zeiten. In der Gallery lässt sich jeder Winkel für überraschende Bildmotive oder Videoprojekte nutzen.

Ohne Beleuchtung geht’s natürlich nicht. Lichtkörper sind vorhanden, sogar selbst nutzbar und einzusetzen. Hier könnt Ihr nicht nur Eure Social Media-Aktivitäten aufpeppen sondern auch Familienfotos machen. Für das nächste Fest oder um Oma und Opa zu erfreuen! Darüberhinaus ist Saarbrücken immer einen Besuch wert.

www.fancypopupgallery.de

Instagram: the fancymuseum

Öffnungszeiten:

Freitag von 14 bis 22 Uhr
Samstag von 10 bis 22 Uhr
Sonntag von 10 bis 20 Uhr

Bloggers, Influencers and Co.? Have you ever heard of the Fancy Pop-up Gallery in Saarbrücken? No? I was there, looked and marveled. For people who are looking for something special or just a very special setting for their very own selfie, the location is the ultimate. 40 motifs on 2,500 square meters are waiting to be discovered and shot by you. The affectionately named „Fancy“ is one of the largest pop-up museums in Germany.

All decorations, glitter and bling bling are freely accessible and great for unusual and funny selfies. During my visit, a group of women insisted on modeling in front of pink flamingos, an oversized meat sandwich or an XXL airplane turbine. Accompanied by laughter and lots of fun, because a trip into the realm of the imagination is definitely exciting. Or do you want to be part of a successful bank robbery? No problem, there are tons of banknotes to be photographed.

Do you have an appetite for donuts and lollies? The candy items are offered in gigantic sizes for snapping. The romantic flower swing not only attracts flower power fans. And the Pan Am Lounge awakens frequent flyer memories of past times. Every corner in the gallery can be used for surprising images or video projects.

Of course you can’t do without lighting. Lighting fixtures are available and can even be used and deployed by yourself. Here you can not only spice up your social media activities but also take family photos. For the next party or to please grandma and grandpa! And the city of Saarbrücken is always worth a visit.

Christmas in Cologne Cathedral

I don’t want to withhold pictures of the interior of the magnificent Cologne Cathedral from you.

I made a wish come true and for the 2020 Christmas service I was in one of the largest German cathedrals in Gothic style. Its construction began in 1248 and was not completed until 1880. Some art historians have called the cathedral the „perfect cathedral“ because of its uniform and balanced design.

After the end of the Second World War, the apparently intact cathedral in the middle of the bombed-out city of Cologne was understood as a „miracle“ and an emotional symbol of the will to live.

The cathedral has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 and is one of the most visited sights in Germany.

Death is the final director

There is a beautiful cemetery in Cologne. It is called Melaten and was inaugurated in 1810. At that time there was the French occupation. For hygienic reasons, burials within the city walls were prohibited. Even before it was a refuge for leprosy patients, death ruled here: The site was the place of execution for the city of Cologne. The patients were not allowed to leave the premises until they were healed. Where does the name „Melaten“ come from? It probably derived from „malade“, which means „sick“ in French. 

Today there are more than 55,000 graves in the cemetery, which is one of the largest in Germany. And then there is the cemetery boulevard. It is also called Millions Avenue, because everybody who had a reputation in Cologne and beyond lies on it. Temples and obelisks tower upwards. The old mausoleums were often used as an illegal hiding place for goods during World War II. 

Visitors have to bring time with them today if they want to see many of the celebrity graves. There are those of the beer, perfume (4711), chocolate and publisher dynasties as well as those of well-known Cologne artists. Definitely worth seeing.

Address:
Cemetery Melaten, Aachener Strasse 204, 50931 Cologne, Germany
Public transport: Tram 1 and/or 7 till „Melaten“