4
45, Mercury
Karl-Marx Stadt – Chemnitz Chimney, like a tall can of OK energy drink. We find food first; both places we’ve looked up are open and nearly next door neighbours. Dhal or falafel, dhal or falafel. Syria wins but salty yoghurts are an acquired taste.
In the Chemnitz equivalent of Preston’s Flag Market we see some chairs. It’s a hair dressers. The chairs are for customers to sit and wait whilst their hair colour kicks in. They, she, didn’t know of any artist run studios but living in Plauen illicits the same Saxon response – laughter! We’re directed to the Kunstammlungen (where we were going). The front of house doubles up as the drinks/food service provider point. It’s easy; two birds, ein stein! I (re) imagine The Harris (Preston’s Museum and Art gallery) could do something similar, the same in fact. We visit Culture Cuts Cody Choi.
Tourist information advises right then left to catch the 23 to Schonherr Fabrik Kulturehaus K40. The left is being dug up. Train tracks are being laid but no bus stop station seems obvious to us. We bitch about the tourist info. We walk two blocks straight on, to a big intersection, turn left then walk…we’re doubling back on ourselves. I see a 23! The next one is in 30 minutes. If we’d have done as we were told we’d’ve been on that bus but we didn’t so we weren’t. Sofort says the sign, it means immediately. We alight at Schonherr, read the plan and walk towards T40/K40 but nothing obvious alerts us to artists. There is no sign saying Kunstists!
It’s coffee and cake time. One place serves coffee but no cake! And the other place doesn’t start serving until after 5 – what market are they catering for? Discuss. Maybe all the professional people who finish work at 5 pile in, maybe it was more of a bar. Many, many years ago, before I was born my Grandma and Grandad used to have a Fish n Chip shop at the non-dead end end of Dock Road in Lytham. Their market (back then) was the factory workers of one road buying their lunch.
We’ve ten minutes until I hit the hangry wall! My physiology is phizzing. We give the kunstists the benefit of the doubt and go again to T40/K40. We find the door. It’s closed but unlocked so we enter. We knock, on each door, on each floor, but there’s no answer. A big poster shows today’s date, an opening must be tonight…
Supported by a bursary from a-n The Artist Information Company.
