Wednesday, March 21, 2012

[Updated] Report: Threat of violence cancels the BMW Guggenheim Lab show in Berlin


The BMW Guggenheim Lab packed up and left last October after its two-month-plus run here on East First Street. The Lab was then off to confront comfort in Berlin in the Prenzlauer Berg Kreuzberg neighborhood from May 24 to July 29.

However. In his *Everday Chatter column today, Jeremiah Moss points us to this item at The Atlantic: "BMW Guggenheim Cancels Its Berlin Exhibition Amid Threats of Violence."

The Atlantic post cites Bloomberg News:

"This decision was made as a consequence of threats to the project," the BMW Guggenheim Lab said in a statement. Police and local authorities said there was an elevated risk, it said.

Left-wing activists used the Internet to urge protesters to “derail” the project, according to the daily Tagesspiegel newspaper. Their protest was that the project would accelerate the gentrification of Kreuzberg, leading to higher rents and new luxury residential developments, the newspaper said.

One public meeting ahead of the Berlin debut reportedly drew "vociferous opposition." And depending how good your German is...



Updated:

Here's the site where the Lab was going to set up... via Spiegel Online...

at

12 comments:

  1. BillyMarch 21, 2012 at 4:08 PM

    Cool, although Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg are two completely different neighborhoods. Tsk Tsk Bloomberg!

    ReplyDelete
  2. EV GrieveMarch 21, 2012 at 4:21 PM

    Ugh... that was my fault, Billy... I pulled the wrong neighborhood from an older report...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Laura GogginMarch 21, 2012 at 4:37 PM

    So, what's the update on the 'public' park space we were promised? Since it's closure, I've never seen that space unlocked.

    ReplyDelete
  4. nygrumpMarch 21, 2012 at 5:07 PM

    Authority bows down to terror again!

    ReplyDelete
  5. MarkMarch 21, 2012 at 5:49 PM

    Good on Berlin!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMarch 21, 2012 at 6:17 PM

    This protest seems truly misguided. It's an art project, not a shopping mall development.

    The government shows itself as ineffectual at dealing with mere "threats" of violence. Sets a very bad precedent.

    - East Villager

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 21, 2012 at 10:33 PM

    Three cheers for the good citizens of Berlin for seeing this for what it is - a marketing opportunity for a museum and a car company and not anything to do with art and ideas. And these folks have some balls not like here where people like Lynn Pentecost sell cookies to the lab and Clayton Patterson participates in their panels. This whole thing was a joke, still no park, still no replacement of the tree, just public land once again used by corporations. I heard the rats are back too!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Roger_PawMarch 22, 2012 at 6:50 AM

    I stayed in Kreuzberg for a week several years ago. It was wonderful. Thank goodness the lab didn't set up there. Would have ruined the vibe of the still-edgy place.

    ReplyDelete
  9. glammaMarch 22, 2012 at 12:18 PM

    hahahaha

    hey yeah where's our f*cking park???

    lying bast@rds!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousMarch 23, 2012 at 4:41 PM

    Imagine that??..I wonder why????????

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousMarch 23, 2012 at 4:42 PM

    I think Bloomie wants all the attention.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousMarch 23, 2012 at 4:43 PM

    annon 10:33PM..you hve opened my eyes..I did not know that.

    ReplyDelete

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