John Guttman
John Guttman was a Jewish immigrant photographer who left Nazi Germany for America in 1933. He took up residence in San Francisco and this exhibition, ‘Culture Shock’, chronicles his work a few years later at the height of the depression. There are over 100 black-and-white photographs of cars, jazz singers and musicians, and other everyday examples of American popular culture. At this time, Guttman also began to experiment with inventing and constructing images into a Surrealist adaptation, some whic is also on display.
La Pedrera By Night
No visit to Barcelona during the summer is complete without a visit to the night time café on the roof of Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece, La Pedrera. The roof is a tiled fantasyland of slopes, passage ways and cream puff chimneys, with spectacular 360-degree views of the city, stretched out and shimmering before you. During August, the Flamenco group, Levante performs, while in September, the jazz orchestra, La Bohème will keep things cool and relaxed.
Row
Row is a sure sign that the Eixample district is waking up, getting dressed and going out dancing. This very popular club is installed in Eduard Samsó’s 1980s designer bar, the Nick Havanna. These days, this super trendy spot is run by experienced clubber, Joan Arnau, and features big name dance, house and techno DJs such as Roger Sanchez, Richard Dorfmeister, Terry Francis (who will be in house on August 11) John Acquaviva (performing August 12), to name a few.
da CITY house
Created by club promoter Vladimir Trapeznikov, da City House is supposed to a roving club night that is all about the music. Or as Trapeznikov memorably said, ‘We’re tired of people coming to a club, showing off their Mercedes, picking up girls and leaving. People have forgotten the time when they went out just to dance’. The first of the club nights went off fairly smoothly, although the amount of Mercedes drivers didn’t seem to have decreased and Trapeznikov was well in view sifting the queue of people outside the Buddha Bar. The next is set for the first weekend of September.
Potsdam
The city of Potsdam itself is concentrated in a system of streets circled by fragments of an ancient wall and five standing gates. Several sites not included on the tours which you will likely want to see are just beyond these gates.
To the north of the Jgertor and the Nauenor Tor lies the Rssische Kolonie, a legacy of Friedrich Wilhelm I’s love of tall men. On a trip to Russia, the Emperor admired the handsome soldiers parading before him, so much so, that he took an entire squadron home with him. He housed these soldiers near himself and his palace, giving them whatever materials they desired to build their own homes. The resulting 2-storey log houses are still standing, and many of the residents are direct descendants of the Russians displaced by the “Soldier King,” as Friedrich Wilhelm was subsequently called.
Directly east of the Nauenor Tor is the Hollndisches Viertel, the former home of Dutch craftsmen imported by Friedrich Wilhelm to beautify the city. Their efforts are visible within a four-block radius of Bassin Platz and the two cathedrals, Kirche St. Peter und Paul and the Franzsiche Kirche. The Hollndisches Viertel is also the best place for lunch after a morning of wandering the city of excess and espionage. One excellent restaurant is the Eat and Read Caf, Mittelstr. 41 (tel. 270 60 70), where you can enjoy fresh pasta and a glass of the house wine, along with your novel, for reasonable prices. Across Mittlestrasse are a number of shops offering Dutch tile, fabrics, and dishware.
