Sunday, December 8, 2013

黑白的漢堡 hamburg in black and white


一直下雨的漢堡,天空一直都處於陰陰的狀態,所以就決定讓這一系列全都走黑白的路線了。
As I was in Hamburg this time, it kept raining, the sky was grey, so I decided to turn this whole series into black and white.
















想帶走它們?Want to have them home?

Friday, December 6, 2013

Living in Berlin x interview 017: the true story about making the world beautiful and creative.



Elisabet和Christoph,在Friedrichshain經營一間店,Formfalt。他們的產品主要是希望讓每一個人都可以成為藝術家。在這裡,你可以找到許多不同的組合,針對不同的主題,裡面有不同的材料,手工具,還有簡單的說明。非常適合想要試試看自己創作,但是並沒有很多背景知識的人。所有的產品都是他們自己設計/製作/包裝,銷售範圍涵蓋全球。
Elisabet and Christoph have a store, Formfalt, in Friedrichshain. Their products aim to let everyone be an artist.  You can find different kits with various themes; you can find materials, tools and an introduction inside. It’s very suitable for people who want to create artwork but have no background knowledge. All the products are designed and made by themselves, and sold worldwide.


為什麼在柏林?
Why are you in Berlin?

Elisabet:來自南德的小鎮,後來隨著家人陸續搬往柏林,自己也搬來了,最後所有的家人都搬到柏林來了。Christoph:來自漢堡,三歲就舉家搬遷來到柏林,所以我應該也可以說是柏林人吧(笑)。
(Elisabet) I was born in a town in south Germany. As I grew up, members of  my family kept moving to Berlin, and so I moved here, and my whole family is in Berlin now.  (Christoph) I was born in Hamburg, but when I was 3 years old, we moved to Berlin, so I should be called Berliner as well (laugh).


喜歡柏林嗎?
Do you like Berlin?

Elisabet:我愛柏林!這是一種家的感覺,這裡就是我的家鄉,很難具體的是說為什麼。Christoph:概略地說的話,大概就是柏林是一個你做什麼都可以的地方,很現代的地方,你穿什麼走在路上,你髮型很好看或很醜,隨便你,沒有人會在意,大家都有高度的自由,可以展現自己,我想這個應該大家都會提到,不過喜歡的這種感覺,我想每個人都不一樣,但是我想你也懂(我當然懂!)
Elisabet: I love Berlin! I feel at home here, here is my home, it’s really hard to give you a concrete reason.
Christoph: Generally speaking, Berlin is a city where you can do whatever you want, it’s a modern place. Whatever you wear, if you have a cool or horrible hairstyle, it all depends on you. Everybody is free to present oneself, I believe many people have mentioned it before. But when it comes to the feeling of liking Berlin, I think everyone has their own reason!


有什麼柏林指南嗎?
Tips for Berlin?

1. 如果你喜歡藝術,喜歡文化,那你就不能錯過柏林的博物館,就從博物館島開始逛吧,還有在zoo那裡的攝影博物館。
If you like art and culture, then you cannot miss the museums in Berlin. You can start from the museum island, and there is a museum of photography near S bahn Zoologischergarten.

2. 每個禮拜天下午大概兩點到四點左右,都會有一個騎著腳踏車的男人,帶著卡啦ok的道具在Mauerpark開唱,大家都可以上台去唱,只要你敢。
Every Sunday afternoon (around pm 14-16 ) , there is a man who will ride his bike with equipment for karaoke to Mauerpark. If you dare, you can sing on stage as well.

3. 柏林有很多地方都可以租借到腳踏車,這是一個很好的方式來認識柏林,最好的方式不是告訴你去哪去哪,而是你隨心所欲地在大街小巷裡面穿梭,你會感受到的。 
It is easy to rent a bike in Berlin. It is a nice way to get to know Berlin. Instead of following set directions, you will get a sense of this city just by following your nose.

4. Simon-Dach-Straße 這是一條充滿餐廳還有bar/club的街道,如果你週五或週末晚上來,這裡整個都會是滿的。 
Simon-Dach-Straße is a street full of bars and clubs. If you visit here on Friday or Saturday night, it is full.

5. 地鐵站 Warschauer Str. 在每天晚上的一點左右,會非常的熱鬧,許多人需要在U bahn和S bahn 轉車(需要走過一座橋來轉車),可能是正要去參加派對的人,或是剛結束派對要回家的人,總之是個有趣的景象。 還有在這個站的後面,就有一個叫做Rawpark的地方,那裡的牆上有數不盡的塗鴉,會不停地更換,還有啤酒花園,club,也是一個很不錯的好地方!
U / S bahn Warschauer Str. is very crowded when you visit here at 1:00 AM, some are just ready to go to party, some just finished partying or some are transfering between the Ubahn and Sbahn stations, it’s so full that you can’t imagine, such an interesting scene. Besides, behind this station, there is a park, Rawpark, you can find lots of street art there and they will keep evolving. Still, there are beer gardens and clubs, also quite good.


6. Treptower Park ,環線(Ringbahn)上的一個站,那個公園也非常的棒! 
Treptower Park is a station on the Ringbahn. There is a park which is really nice, right next to the river.


7. Note of Berlin 一個專門拍路上張貼的廣告單的網站。柏林大概是全世界最愛貼公告的地方了,各種莫名其妙的公告都會有,你可能會在某間店前面看到“我們多買了啤酒,歡迎自取”,或是有人把烤麵包機就放在路上,並貼上:我的烤麵包機壞了,如果可以的話,請你幫我帶回去修,修好以後再放回來,謝謝。
Note of Berlin is a website where you can see photos of crazy notes found on the street. Berlin is probably the worlds number one city for posting notes about everything. You can find so many unbelievable flyers, such as “we bought too many beers, feel free to take it ” or someone just put his broken toaster on the street with a paper saying: my machine is broken, if it is possible, please repair it and bring it back to me again, thanks. 




Formfalt是怎麼成長的?
Can you tell us the story of Formfalt?

Formfalt已經快要滿十歲了,一開始我們沒有店面,也沒有網站,我們把商品做出來,然後先在店家或是博物館的商店販售,大概四年前我們架設了網路商店,直到兩年多前,我們決定把工作室跟家分開來,於是決定開一間屬於自己的店,有點像是展間的模式。基本上這裡的顧客並不是很多,不過有一些顧客會特地前來,這點讓人很感動。有一個媽媽帶著小孩來柏林三天而已,但是特地安排要來我們店裡看看,還有一個剛剛走的客人,他就是先在博物館的商店看到我們的東西,之後電話聯絡,後來就成為我們的常客了。每當有客人來的時候我們都會很開心地上前介紹(我有感受到!) 開了店以後,陸續也有平面媒體來訪問過。
Formfalt is almost 10 years old. At the very beginning, we didn’t have a shop or a website. We designed and made products, then sold them in some bookstores or museum shops. About 4 years ago, we built our website and online shop.  Until 2 years ago, we wanted to separate our studio from home, thus, we decided to have a shop, like a showroom. Basically, not many customers will visit here, but there are still some customers, they will come specifically here, we are really moved. Once a mother brought her children to Berlin only for a 3 day trip, and we were on her to go list! And the customer who just left, he bought our products in a museum shop, and then he contacted us. Now he is a frequent customer here. Since we have had this showroom, sometimes we have visits from the media.



你們設計的東西都很有趣,可是涉獵範圍超級廣,主題包含了不同的藝術派別還有藝術家,使用的手法有畫圖/雕塑/組合/拼貼/印刷/攝影...,是怎麼決定主題和手法的?
I personally love the products that you have, they are quite varied. You have painting, sculpture, paper cut, printing, etc. You also have different themes including art movements and artists. How did you decide to combine them?

這個其實很不一定,有的時候我會看到一個材料,想著我無論如何都要用它做一個商品出來,有的時候剛好相反,可能是配合博物館展覽的主題進行發想,因為所有的商品都是我們自己設計,然後全部自己製作,所以每一個新產品最快都需要2-3個月來發展。
It is not always the same rule. Sometimes we design a product based on the chosen material, or we develop a new product due to a new exhibition in a museum. Because we design and produce all the products by ourselves, every new product takes at least 3 months to prepare.

我們的商品一開始是設計給大人的,但是後來發現許多大人都會買了送給小孩,再加上給小朋友的東西必須要特別注意材質還有安全性,於是我們開始設計一款新的系列,是專門給小孩子的。
What’s interesting is initially our target group were adults, but we found out that many adults buy our products as a gift for kids. When the users are kids, the material and safety considerations are very important, so now we have a new series for kids.

現在我們也開始設計一些完成品,來配合不同的展覽主題。
We also sell products that are finished for exhibitions.



分工?
How did you delegate tasks

我們各自都有喜歡做的和不喜歡做的部分,所以就每個人挑自己喜歡做的,基本上分配的相當好,當然也有都不喜歡部分,那就是溝通好去進行,不過有一個原則我們嚴格執行,就是每個商品的開發階段都只有一個人來進行,christoph誠實地說:我對於商品的想法上會比較有控制狂,會想要指揮他怎麼做,不過他也會有他自己的想法,所以我們在一開始的開發階段就會分開來做,然後到了一定程度才來交換意見。
Of course we both have what we like to do and dislike. We pick up first what we like to do, the rest we negotiate and do it. There is one principle that we strictly follow: the beginning of product development belongs to only one person. (Christoph) I always want to control everything when it is about products. I would want to tell her what she should do, but of course she has her own ideas. We discuss only when the basic form is decided.


經營有什麼小祕訣嗎?
Do you have any tips for running your own business?

包裝很重要,很多時候這會是決定商品銷售量的關鍵,但是因為我們只是小公司,所以很多東西我們就必需要去妥協,不過下一個新商品的包裝有做了新的設計,可以拭目以待!Package design is really important for marketing. However, we are just a small company, sometimes we need to compromise with the packaging. But our next product will have new package design, just wait and see!

要注意季節!我們固定都會看Süddeutsch報紙和藝術雜誌,關心有關展覽和藝術的消息,如果有適合的主題我們就會主動聯絡。網路也是很重要,因為一開始我都是用email來寄送我們的目錄,網路也是現在很重要的媒體阿。
Be aware of the season! We read Süddeutsch(newspaper) and art magazines. The news about art and exhibitions are really important for us. If there is any topic that is suitable for our products, we will connect with them actively. Internet is also important,  as we just started our business, we send our catalogue via email.

還有就是我們在工作上都非常的重視時間,當我們接下一筆訂單,我們就會很準時地在約定的時間交貨,由於經營了快要十年,所以也有幾間固定的運輸公司在合作,彼此都有一定的默契,今天給貨,明天他們就一定會寄出,好讓訂購的人可以準時收到貨品。
Lead time and schedule  are also important. When we get an order, we will send it on time. It is important to make sure the customer gets the products on time.









有想過要拓點到亞洲嗎?台灣?日本?中國?因為像這樣的好商品,我也很希望在台灣可以買得到啊!
Have you ever thought about have a shop in Asia? like Taiwan, Japan, or China? Because I would be happy if I could buy your products in Taiwan.

目前還沒有,由於我們都會固定參加一些展覽會,有的時候會遇到對我們的商品很有興趣的亞洲客戶,或許是文化和價值觀的不同,他們會提出壓低單價但大量訂單的要求,但是這種單我們都會拒絕。我們在做我們的事業的時候,百分之九十都是充滿樂趣的,賺得或許不是很多但是足夠,我們不追求賺大錢,而且我們只有兩個人在進行,這種訂單所帶來的工作量/時間跟金錢都無法讓我們接受。
Not yet, we participate regularly in conventions, and sometimes we met distributors from Asia who have interest in our products, but probably it is due to the differences in values or culture, most of them want to buy our products with a lower price but high volume, which we can’t accept. When we are doing our business, 90% are fun for us, When we work, 90% is for fun. we don’ t earn a lot but enough, we don’t chase higher profit. Besides, there are only two of us who work, this kind of order overloads us with work for an amount of money that is not worthwhile.

另一方面運輸也是一個問題,在歐洲的運輸基本上沒有太大的問題,但是運送到亞洲的時間和價格就是必須衡量的,畢竟我們的商品單價並不高,這樣下來可能不是太划算。
Transportation is another issue for us, there is no big problem to transport within Europe, but when it is to Asia, the time and the shipping costs are comparable to the products’ price.

還有就是我們對於亞洲的認識實在是太少了,那裡的博物館,文化,逛博物館的群眾類別我們都不熟悉,所以或許還需要一點時間。We know too little about Asia. We have no impression about the culture, the museums, and who is going. We still need some time.



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我對他們的故事超級感動的,跨國企業根本不需要多大的公司,兩個人就可以,賣出去的商品,兩個人在家就可以完成,只要你努力,用心,堅持!!!!
I’m so touched from their story. A worldwide business doesn’t need to be a super big company, two person is still possible, you can even produce them at home, as long as you do your best, with your whole heart and stick to it.

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Formfalt

Colbestrasse 18
D-10247 Berlin

tel +49(0)30-44 04 32 49


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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

After watching "city ballet"


應該沒有人規定我不能在這裡偶爾寫寫別人的事吧。
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這是最近新發現的一系列影片,不多,我昨天晚上加今天早上一點點時間就看完了。

想要分享給大家,理由有很多。

作為一個四肢不協調的人,我很喜歡看別人跳舞,對於可以這麼了解自己的身體的每一個部分,能夠如此善用自己每一個肌肉,能夠將線條做得如此美麗,透過肢體動作去傳達出情感,真的很羨慕。

喜歡他們每一個轉身,都好優雅,都好有力道。
喜歡雙人共舞的時候,唯有完全的信任才能夠達成的一種美。

每一個跳躍都不只是一個跳躍。

這一系列前面的鋪陳是如何進入city ballet,然後在裡面的生活,最後是不在裡面的生活。

大部份的舞者都在還是小孩的時候就開始跳舞,9歲,我的老天爺,我都不知道我那時候在幹嘛,但有些人已經知道自己一生的志願了。

然後我想起小說家說的,我做我喜歡的事情是要付出代價的。

他們的童年就是不停地跳舞,不停地訓練。
他們的人生就是圍繞著跳舞,跳舞,跳舞。

故事也有帶到其他的領域,例如他們每個人都有自己專屬的舞鞋,因為他們的身體就是他們的資產。以及化妝這部分,要展現每一個舞者的特色,儘管是跳著同一個舞步,相同卻又不同。

故事來到了受傷。

就像運動員一樣,受傷代表著職業生涯的危機。每一年都有新的舞者進來,每一個高難度的動作都帶著危險在裡面,受傷了,你可能就再也回不來了。

裡面有一個舞者說他受了傷,他周圍的人問著他,你如果再也不能跳舞了要怎麼辦?

或許這個時候他才意識到,自己的生活只有 跳舞。

於是這一系列的影片最後一個章節是,跳舞之外的生活。

有一個人說,跳舞是他生命不可或缺的,但是我想,除去這個不可或缺的部分,我們還有什麼?或者還想要有些什麼?

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我很喜歡影片的鋪陳,把大家都帶進去那個充滿夢想、勇氣、努力、還有汗水的世界,先看到這個世界有多麼不容易進去,然後進去以後的人的生活態度,然後回到真實世界。

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九歲的我不知道自己要的是什麼,都快三倍年紀了,我還不能夠明確地說出我要什麼。

但是還好,至少我知道我不要什麼。

總覺得理想與現實應該不要好遠,勵志書籍總是說,當你懷著熱情去做你想做的事情,你就會成功。不過成功究竟是什麼啊?

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其實也不知道究竟想要說寫什麼,只是看完影片突然有感而發。

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要一直知足感謝但是又不滿足的努力下去。

而且要記得,被拒絕是常有的。

還有小說家說的,我做我喜歡的事情是要付出代價的。

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最後附上影片的連結

http://on.aol.com/show/cityballet-517887470/episode/517995636

Monday, November 18, 2013

Letterpress class 手工凸版印刷

以下是我最近在忙什麼。
now you know what I've been busy with.
忙著進行手工凸版印刷。
I'm busy with the handmade letterpress.















這是他們的所在地:
if you like them, you can find them here:




Sunday, November 10, 2013

Living in Berlin x interview 016: A tea shop and a talented owner.



Regina,德國人,來自科隆,搬來柏林已經27年了,目前自己有一間自己的店,前面的店面賣茶葉,以及品茶,後面的空間則作為按摩床療程的工作室。
Regina comes from Cologne, Germany and she has lived in Berlin for 27 years. Now she has a massage space and a tea shop in Kreuzberg.

為什麼搬來柏林?
Why did you move to Berlin?

結束我的的專業彩妝師學習課程以後,我來柏林拜訪我的哥哥,然後就愛上柏林,於是我就搬來這裡,在這裡開始工作。一開始在各個劇院裡面工作,後來就進入了電影工業。
After finishing my study to become a makeup artist, I visited my brother in Berlin, and then I fell in love with Berlin, so I moved here, and found a job here. At first I worked in theater, then I started to work in the film industry.

喜歡柏林嗎?
Do you like Berlin?

當然啦,我深愛這個城市,這是一個充滿幻想,充滿挑戰的城市,不停的變動,而且非常敏感的一個城市。我現在住在Kreuzberg,我很喜歡這裡,還很年輕,很多可能性的一個區塊。
Of course, I love this city; it’s a city full of imagination, fantasy and challenges. It is a flexible, changeable and sensitive city. I like Kreuzberg, where I live now; it is still young and has many possibilities.

有什麼可以推薦給我們的柏林景點媽?
Do you have any tips for Berlin?

我的興趣是拉小提琴並且我也參與交響樂團,但是目的並不是大家為了某一個表演而練習,重要的是過程,大家一起練習、彼此互相幫忙,成長的過程,像這樣的團體你在柏林可以找到。我也有去上跳舞課,Latein,那也是一個非常有趣的活動。 
For hobbies, I play violin in an orchestra, but the purpose to join is not for any performance in the end, but to play together, enjoying the process. We help each other to be better; you can find many of this kind of group here. I also go to Latin dance class. It’s also a very interesting activity.

還有就是Tip Berlin這本雜誌,我非常熱愛音樂、熱愛藝術,當年他就像是我的聖經一樣,裡面有非常多的藝文活動。不過現在因為科技的進步,所以所有的資訊都可以從網路上找到了。
Besides, Tip Berlin was my bibles for life, because I love music and art so much, and you can find many art activities inside. But thanks to the technology, all the information can be found in Internet. 





為什麼會人生轉變這麼大?
What happened? What led you to change your life journey? 

我從事美妝工作大概20年左右,後來因為身體不適,然後因為這個按摩床的療程,非常神奇而且有效的,我的身體狀況就好轉了,而電影工業的壓力實在是太大,所以我想,是時候轉換跑道了,於是我開始進行這個按摩床的事業,大概已經七年左右的時間了,那也因為我在提供按摩床的服務的時候,都會提供一些餅乾和茶,漸漸的,我開始思考,什麼樣的店可以和我的按摩床作結合,於是,我開始經營茶的事業,除了賣茶葉,這裡也有提供茶/咖啡和茶點(都是自己烤的蛋糕和餅乾!)。不過說真的,在柏林要有自己的店非常的容易,我很快的就找到這個地點,而申請執照更是兩個小時內就完成了!

I worked as a makeup artist for 20 years, and then due to some problem with my health, I found treatment by this massage amazing and efficient. My health became better again, but the pressure from working in the film industry is unbelievably heavy, so I thought, it’s time for me to do something different. Therefore I started to build my own massage space, and till now it has been about 7 years. When I worked in my massage space, I always supplied tea and snacks as well. Then, I started to think, what else can I supply and what matches with the massage space? So, a tea shop is the next shop I opened. Besides selling good quality tea, I offer tea, coffee, and cakes as well (all handmade). It’s very easy to have a shop in Berlin; I found this place very fast and the process for applying for a license is done within 2 hours.

那你一直都住在柏林,沒想過去其他的城市嗎?
It seems you have always lived in Berlin, do you ever think about living in another city?

其實在我從事前面那一份工作的時候,我當然有非常多的機會可以去其他城市生活,但是我太熱愛柏林了。
Of course there were many chances for me to live in other cities when I still worked in the film industry, but I love Berlin too much.

經營茶行這個工作,客戶群都是怎樣的啊?因為這裡大部份的人應該都是喝咖啡吧。
Who are your customers? I thought that most Germans drink coffee.

我大部份的客人都說英文,用德文溝通的客人其實不多,不過我覺得喝茶會是未來的一個趨勢,而且茶是非常健康的一種飲料。
Most of my customers speak English, only a few are German, but I think tea will become popular in the future, and it is very healthy.





換算起來你在柏林圍牆倒塌之前就已經來到柏林了,那時候跟現在的差異應該很大吧?
You came to Berlin when the wall is still in Berlin, what’s the difference between now and then?

非常的大,那個時候的柏林,到處都是沒有先生的老太太,整個城市非常的孤獨,非常的空,後來柏林圍牆拆掉了以後,整個柏林開始有了不一樣的生命,非常的多元且多彩,而且還不停的在變化中。
Huge, the Berlin at that time was full of old women without husbands, and the city was extremely lonely and empty. After the wall came down, Berlin started a different life, very colorful and evolving, and it still changes. 

我覺得你是一個非常有目標、而且有自己想法的人,請問你可以小小透露下一個目標嗎?
I find you are a thoughtful and ambitious person, can you tell us your next goal?

我是一個非常喜歡接受挑戰而且獨立的人,我會一直給自己設定新的目標,但是那並不是像我有一個什麼計劃,而是我憑著我的直覺,順著那個感覺去走,所以下一個階段我還不能告訴你囉!I’m someone who loves challenges and independent. I keep giving myself new targets for life, but it is not like I have a plan to do something. Instead, I follow my intuition and my feelings, so I can’t tell you what my next stage is yet!


哈哈,那最後一個問題,你有什麼小建議可以抵抗冬天即將到來的憂鬱嗎?
Haha, then, the last question, what’s your advice for fighting winter depression?

天黑得很早,所以當然就是在家烤蛋糕烤餅乾的季節囉!
The day are short, the night are long, it means, it’s time to stay home and bake cakes and cookies!



你可以在這裡找到她的店

Jade Vital - tea shop & massage space

Graefestrasse 74
10967 Berlin
Tel.:03065705144




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Living in Berlin 
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Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Hamburg, 2

偶而離開一下熟悉的生活圈,來到一個不太認識的城市也是滿好的,爛透了的網路讓我反省了自己的上癮問題,計劃表上想去的點實際上都不合胃口,但是在前往的路上找到很多有趣的東西,這個部分讓我下一篇再分享吧。

總之,這是晚秋的漢堡,今天7度,沒下雨。









Stadtpark, Hamburg, Germany