Works of 50 Artists Displayed on Balconies in Berlin

A beautiful art installation displayed on an artist's balcony was part of the Balconies, Life, Art, Pandemic, and Proximity exhibition last week in Berlin. Photos: JOHN MACGOUGALL/AFP
A beautiful art installation displayed on an artist's balcony was part of the Balconies, Life, Art, Pandemic, and Proximity exhibition last week in Berlin. Photos: JOHN MACGOUGALL/AFP
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Works of 50 Artists Displayed on Balconies in Berlin

A beautiful art installation displayed on an artist's balcony was part of the Balconies, Life, Art, Pandemic, and Proximity exhibition last week in Berlin. Photos: JOHN MACGOUGALL/AFP
A beautiful art installation displayed on an artist's balcony was part of the Balconies, Life, Art, Pandemic, and Proximity exhibition last week in Berlin. Photos: JOHN MACGOUGALL/AFP

After the closure of Berlin's art galleries over the COVID-19 pandemic, around 50 artists exhibited their works on balconies, calling the audience for an "intimate visit" to enjoy their creations.

"At a time when our freedom of movement is suspended, balconies have become unique performance sites," said the organizers who launched the project in the Prenzlauer Berg district of east Berlin.

The project's curators Ovul Durmusoglu and Joanna Warsza, who called the artists to unleash their imagination, said: "Balconies are for getting a breath of fresh air, spending some time in the sun or smoking."

The curious walkers in Berlin, where the rules of isolation in the face of the coronavirus pandemic are less strict than elsewhere in Germany, are invited to raise their heads and admire the artworks.

One artist displayed black and white photographs of people on their balconies in Athens and Cordoba, while another hung a ladder made from tree branches.

Other installation presents ribbons of toilet paper cascading down a building's facade, a reference to Germans' rush to stock up on the must-have commodity as soon as the coronavirus pandemic arrived in Europe.

The project with "zero budget, no preview, no crowds" aims to provide "an intimate walk in search of signs of life and art", the organizers said.



Coffee Lovers Find Grounds for Complaint at Australian Open

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
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Coffee Lovers Find Grounds for Complaint at Australian Open

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 15, 2025 General view of people buying coffee outside the courts. (Reuters)

Melbourne prides itself on serving up the world's best coffee, but finding a hot brew at the Australian Open has proved a challenge for some of the tens of thousands of fans attending this year's Grand Slam tennis tournament.

Organizers have worked hard over the last decade to improve options for refreshment and an array of outlets at the Melbourne Park precinct.

Yet long queues face fans looking to indulge their passion for the city's favorite beverage at the 15 coffee stores Tennis Australia says dot the 40-hectare (99-acre) site.

"We need more coffee places open," said Katherine Wright, who has been coming to the tournament for the five years as she lined up for a hot drink near the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday.

"We are big coffee drinkers, especially Melburnians."

The Australian Open attracts more than 90,000 fans a day early on in the tournament, when ground passes are relatively cheap, offering the chance to watch main draw action on the outer courts.

Liz, another Melburnian, said she stood in line for half an hour for a cup of coffee on Sunday, when rain halted play for six hours on the outer courts.

"This is a well-established global event," she added. "You actually need to be providing better service to the consumer."

Melbourne imports about 30 tons of coffee beans a day, the Australian Science Education Research Association says, representing a surge of nearly eightfold over the past decade that is sufficient to brew 3 million cups of coffee.

For Malgorzata Halaba, a fan who came from Poland on Sunday for her second Australian Open, finding one of those 3 million cups was a must.

"It seems it took me a day and a half, and several kilometers of walking around the grounds, to find coffee," she said. "And jet-lagged as I am, coffee is a lifesaver."