imomus: (Default)
[personal profile] imomus
Anyone who knows me knows I love rather unthreatening, twee, brightly-coloured, childish and playful events and environments. So I'm delighted to announce that the mother of all tweefests opens in Berlin today: the Pictoplasma character conference.



I'm actually off to London tomorrow, so I won't be around to see dancers from the Sasha Waltz company doing an over-the-top pop opera performance with various cosplay furries on Saturday at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Or any of the talks, for that matter -- they start tomorrow.

But I will be able to catch the character walk, in which dozens of shops and galleries in Mitte become temporary lairs for the friendly monsters Pictoplasma exists to facilitate and promote. In over 30 Mitte locations, all day today, you can see work by everyone from Shobo Shobo to David Shrigley. The character walk starts at Trailerpark on the corner of Alte Schoenhauser Strasse and Linienstrasse, and everything's open from 11am.



There's also a party tonight at 103 Club, Falckensteinstrasse 47 in Kreuzberg, starting at 10pm. It's a "celebration of Magic, Luck, and Friendship" in which you can "play with characters from another dimension" and "be transported to a surreal adventure... gaze upon the visual delights and observe the spirits or venture down below for a full sensory romper room installation of Cloud City, a tactile playground like you've never experienced before". The installation is by Friends With You, the peaked, painted shaman I, Mischa Shoni and Mumbleboy witnessed at the opening of that "tunnel of twee", the Giant Robot Store in New York last year.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 07:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hyades.livejournal.com
What the hell is twee?

I love dark, threatening, sardonic and playful events and environments.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 07:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nickdoro.livejournal.com
off to london tomorrow! does this mean we'll get to read another anti-london polemic? i rather enjoy those.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 08:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] imomus.livejournal.com
Oh, I doubt it. Last time I was in London (http://imomus.livejournal.com/206326.html) I had a whale of a time.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 08:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] iloveacomputer.livejournal.com
wow, looks amazing!

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 08:35 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Bring an umbrella.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 12:27 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
http://www.risacan.com/toronto/index_e.html

Risa Sato what about

cheers

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 01:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mini-snape.livejournal.com
Eek, I actually find those things very scary.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 02:18 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
OK, so you just like childish things in general...













...that'll be FUCKIN right!

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 02:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] anglerfish96.livejournal.com
This looks like a lot of fun.

Don Hertzfeldt's gonna be there! If you haven't seen it, I recommend watching 'Intermission in the Third Dimension'. It's on YouTube... unfortunately I can't link to it because my job's firewall has that blocked.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 04:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] scottbateman.livejournal.com
Dammit, how do I always miss the Pictoplasma conference??!!??

twee with TEETH

Date: 2006-10-11 05:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cityramica.livejournal.com
I went to a junk shop a few months back, and they had dozens and dozens of faulty Friends With You toys...the manufacturer reject versions ones we saw at Giant Robot! I might buy them all up [they were very cheap], wire them up into robots and create a Broken Toy Dance Party Mafia. :)

i really like the photos in your post though that last one makes me think of a frightning combination of a blow-up doll and a bear trap...

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 05:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cap-scaleman.livejournal.com
Momus, I've had your newest album "Ocky milk" in my home for almost a week now and I really like it. Thank you.

Re: twee with TEETH

Date: 2006-10-11 05:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cityramica.livejournal.com
[versions OF THE ones we saw at G.R.]

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 08:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lord-whimsy.livejournal.com
What--no Elks Skiffle Group? (http://www.peaceworkmusic.net/0001/0001e.htm)

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 08:56 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Is there an Orange walk on?

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 08:57 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Cos it's just a lot of wombles fannying about?

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 08:58 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Did you not have to pay for it? You jammy wee bassa!

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 09:01 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Are you affected or demented?

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-11 11:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] anglerfish96.livejournal.com
Ohh I love ESG, haha. They're really eerie. Or at least what I've heard of 'em.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-12 04:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] imomus.livejournal.com
I'm happy!

urbandictionary.com says...

Date: 2006-10-12 05:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cityramica.livejournal.com
"
1. twee (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=twee)

Something that is sweet, almost to the point of being sickeningly so. As a derogatory descriptive, it means something that is affectedly dainty or quaint, or is way too sentimental.

In American English it often refers to a type of simple sweet pop music, but in British English it is used much more widely for things that are nauseatingly cute or precious. It comes from the way the word sweet sounds when said in baby talk.

Belle and Sebastian are the Beatles of twee.
"

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-12 05:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cityramica.livejournal.com
&on TOUR. weird. or at least they're playing one date in san francisco.

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-12 05:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ohfuckyou.livejournal.com
OMG OMG OMG OMG

Why can't I be there?!

(no subject)

Date: 2006-10-12 05:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cap-scaleman.livejournal.com
It was about two weeks ago since the release of Ocky Milk and I said I've had it in my home for a week? I paid for it! Wassa massa sassa!