Berlin Flower Shops

In the Studio with Ruby Barber, the Florist Behind Berlin-Based Mary Lennox - W Magazine

I really enjoy not having them around,” confesses the floral designer behind the avant-garde botanical studio Mary Lennox. The same cannot be said for her workspace, an airy studio in Berlin’s Schöneberg neighborhood. The afternoon light that filters through its large bay windows stains the terracotta floor and walls a plummy red. In this wash of color, the bundles of cherry branches, heaps of silky pampas grass and paper-leafed mandarins that cover Barber’s work table take on the saturated, overripe glow of a Flemish still life. It’s no wonder that the likes of Chanel, Gucci and Versace have tapped Barber to breathe life into their campaigns, runway presentations, and boutiques. Ruby Barber in her studio, photograph courtesy of Becca Crawford. When Barber started Mary Lennox (named for the spoiled British schoolgirl in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden), she was in her early twenties and focused on, “you know, flowers in a vase.” Now that the neat-headed, bare-stemmed bouquet has gone the way of the promise ring and the sweater set, Barber has loosed unruly tangles of hops vines and dusty cones of amaranth from the confines of the vase and allowed them to take over the entire room. There’s a heady chaos to Barber’s installations, a hint of hedonism where order once reigned. Roses and tulips have given way to dark, waxy grapes as long as pinky fingers for Itali...https://www.wmagazine.com/story/ruby-barber-mary-lennox-florist-berlin-interview/

Pompeo lays flowers at German synagogue after far-right shooting - The Times of Israel

Police subsequently captured the suspect after a gun battle that left him wounded. Pompeo is on a two-day tour of Germany ahead of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. On Thursday, he was in Leipzig meeting with demonstrators from the 1989 peaceful revolution that brought the communist regime down, and will on Friday give a speech in the German capital. ...https://www.timesofisrael.com/pompeo-lays-flowers-at-german-synagogue-after-far-right-shooting/

Chemnitz: Syrian asylum-seeker convicted of killing that sparked far-right riots - DW (English)

Antifa counterprotests, and desperate attempts by the local government to hold a dialogue with citizens. These were followed by a major rock concert in Chemnitz, and huge demonstrations in Berlin and other German cities under the hashtag #WirSindMehr ("We are more"), meant to highlight Germany's open and inclusive culture. The plaque marks the spot where Daniel H. was killed Read more: Who killed Daniel H.? A year of #WirSindMehr If you weren't looking for it, you might not even notice the plaque for Daniel H. on the broad sidewalk of Chemnitz's Brückenstrasse that marks the spot where he died. The small silver metal plate, engraved with a peace symbol, has replaced a pool of candles and flowers that were laid here for days in the aftermath of the death. But a lot has happened in Chemnitz since last summer. Concerts and exhibitions emphasizing tolerance, diversity and openness have come thick and fast. In July this year, the center of the city was transformed into a festival ground for the Kosmos concert, this time under the hashtag #WirBleibenMehr ("We will remain more"). In the same vein, the city festival that was abruptly cut short last year will be replaced this weekend with a three-day street festival, entitled Herzschlag - Chemnitz lebt! ("Heartbeat – Chemnitz is alive!"), organized not by the city but by a local initiative. Educational projects The city authorities, with support from the federal government, have also invested more money in cultural and educational projects. One of these is Chemnitz Open Space, and can be found right behind the giant sculpture of Karl Marx's head, both Chemnitz's most famous landmark and the focal point for any demonstration — including the far-right protest that sparked so much trouble last year. Opened in May, Chemnitz Open Space allows local artists and activists to put on exhibitions and workshops meant to foster the city's democratic culture. (One exhibition inside details Chemnitz's connections with the National Socialist Underground terrorist organization). One of the project managers is Rebecca Dathe, who was spending Wednesday afternoon planting new plants in the grassy area next to Karl Marx — the same lawn where hundreds of far-right extremists and riot police officers had stood a year ago. Community awareness has heightened; Dathe describes how, until last summer, many people in Chemnitz would simply accept that their neighbors or friends had far-right opinions. "The events last year caused many people to get more engaged more politically," she says. "You noticed that the incidents showed that people are dealing with far-right extremism more consciously. They don't just look away." Read more: Chemnitz trial begins amid questions of impartiality The anti-tolerance backlash That much was backed up by Franz Knoppe, project director for the Chemnitz cultural and educational organization ASA-FF, the "Network for Global Learning." "There are a lot or people working on this, ...https://www.dw.com/en/chemnitz-syrian-asylum-seeker-convicted-of-killing-that-sparked-far-right-riots/a-50120472

An Artist Famous for His Viral Sand Art Is Behind a Striking New Installation in Berlin Made of Flowers and Tombstones - artnet News

Berlin Art Week. The work appeared without fanfare one morning on the property of Factory Berlin, a trendy co-working space for tech start-ups named after Andy Warhol’s famous studio. Made from a field of red and white heather shrubs planted around a grid of gold-engraved white marble gravestones and stone pathways, the work forms the shape of a skull and crossbones when viewed from the upper floors of the surrounding buildings or the slight hill that rises just beyond the work. The piece does not have an official name. “I want the people to give it a title,” Bengel, who also has two gallery shows on view in Germany, told artnet News. So far, he’s heard people calling it Flower Skull and Graves of Our Generation. “I hear people are not sure what it means. They think it is a QR code and you need to scan it with a drone to learn its secret,” Bengel said. “Another rumor is that it has something to do with the wall,” he added, noting that the Berlin Wall stood just across the street from where he created the artwork. (The city marks the 30th annivers...https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/tim-bengel-berlin-flower-graveyard-1654870