Astrid Hiemer
Bio:
A cultural critic and writer, Astrid grew up after WW II in Hamburg, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in the 1960s. She was formerly the assistant director (Administrative Officer) of the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT under Otto Piene, with whom she has worked in the past several years editing, translating, and researching for a major book about his life and career. While at The Center she knew and worked with many multi-media artists. In addition to professional work as an editor and translator she is also a poet, and writer of fiction. Most of her written work is accompanied by her own photographs.
Recent Articles:
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Lyudmila Dakhova, Artist In Ukraine Front Page
She is still making art now…
By: - Mar 16th, 2022Lyudmila Dakhova wrote in a message to us just a few days ago: "Art is civilization." And when we watch the news, Lyudmila is never far from our thoughts.
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Schwanda at Komische Oper, Berlin Front Page
The Bagpipe Player
By: - Mar 07th, 2022After a slow opening in Praha, Czech Republic, in 1927 Schwanda, der Dudelsackpfeifer (Schwanda, the bagpipe player) by Jaromir Weinberger turned into a huge success around the Western World - and before Hitler came to power.
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Queen Lear at Gorki Theater - Berlin, Germany Front Page
A perhaps foreboding production for Europe/World
By: - Feb 26th, 2022Everything is upside down in this production. A faint semblance to Shakespeare's King Lear remains as in a fever dream, or better yet as a trip beyond borders of human sanity.
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72nd Berlinale - Germany Front Page
February 10-20, 2022
By: - Feb 24th, 2022Chapeau! An amazing undertaking has drawn to a close in Berlin, Germany. Amid still active Covid-19, Marietta Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, the heads of the film festival Berlinale, brought about the 72nd international film festival in real time.
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Side By Side Front Page
Curators, Sharon Carson and Betty Vera
By: - Feb 21st, 2022Writing about an exhibition or installation in poetic form is a first for me ~ come see!
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Wellfleet Oysters on Sale in North Adams, MA Front Page
All About Oysters
By: - Jan 22nd, 2022It’s known from coast to coast that Wellfleet Oysters are one of the best! When we saw the sign for Wellfleet Oysters for $ 0.99/each at our nearest grocery store, Big Y, in North Adams – we had to buy a dozen.
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Invitation to a Cheese Tasting Lunch Food
Have a Cheese Tasting - Not Wine Tasting
By: - Jan 10th, 2022Hey, it was Fun! And a special lunch as well. We invite you to hold your own cheese tasting and we will post your results on Berkshire Fine Arts as well....C'mon!
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Ceramics, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA Front Page
In the Expanded Field
By: - Nov 02nd, 2021Ceramic art works and products have increased substantially in size and expression over the last ten or more years. The sky is the limit here at the current MoCA exhibition and the energy was palpable in the galleries during a rainy Saturday.
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Die Dreigroschenoper at the Berliner Ensemble Front Page
By Bertold Brecht, Music by Kurt Weill
By: - Oct 19th, 2021It turned into a shocking success, the opening of the Dreigroschenoper (Three Penny Opera) in November 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin. Now, almost 100 years later, Bertolt Brecht's work with the music by Kurt Weill, is back at its original showing, now called the Berliner Ensemble at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin.
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Mahagonny, Komische Oper, Berlin Front Page
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
By: - Oct 11th, 2021What startet 1930 as the first opera cooperation between the playwright Bertolt Brecht and the composer Kurt Weill may well turn out to be the last big opera in the 2021/22 season. Mahagonny is being presented at the Komische Oper Berlin with Barrie Kosky as director.
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Noorrrraaaaaaa after Ibsen Front Page
The Gorki Theater, Berlin
By: - Sep 21st, 2021Just be aware. The premiere of Nora at Berlin's smallest theatre, The Gorki Theater, offers anything but the expected story line of Henrik Ibsen's famous 1879 play about a woman stepping out of a comfortable upper middle class family life to become independent.
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Memories of Atrocities to Come – Front Page
Published with Ref. to 9/11, WWII, and Today
By: - Sep 09th, 2021'Memories of Atrocities to Come:' Written at night, edited at daytime - published in remembrance of 9/11 - atrocities of WWII - and of today....
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Collage Brain, by Lynn Gall Front Page
Insights, Ideas, Inspiration
By: - Aug 24th, 2021Lynn Gall started working as a collagist more than 15 years ago. First, while living in Bristol, in the United Kingdom, in a flat with very little space to call her studio; in fact, she had not much more than a desk and some storage space for her material. in 2019 she published in New York City a 269 page handbook with 120 full color images. She also makes a myriad of suggestions: 'how to create successful collages.'
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Berlin, Tanz im August - 2021 Front Page
Berliner Festspiele
By: - Aug 23rd, 2021Tanz im August (no translation necessary) opened the way for live performances with and for the public after Covid-19 had stopped all cultural activities since late last year.
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The Artist Erika Marquardt Front Page
Born 1938 in Berlin, Germany. She died in 2021 in Newburyport, MA
By: - Jun 21st, 2021Erika Marquardt was an extraordinary woman, painter and artist. We were dear friends and I have followed her and Susan Erony's work since 1995. The rare collaboration between those two painters of more than 1000 small paintings ( 7"x10") lasted from 1998 to 2006. And they also collaborated on a large triptych. Altogether an amazing feat!
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Berliner Festspiele: 58th Theatertreffen Front Page
2021 Theatre Festival in Berlin
By: - May 30th, 2021Berlin’s cultural life is slowly awakening. One of the early highlights of this development was the 58th Theatertreffen (theatre festival) of the Berliner Festspiele from May 13 to May 24.
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Berlinale 2021 Front Page
A Virtual Berlin Film Festival
By: - Mar 08th, 2021The winners of the Virtual Berlinale, 2021, have received their Golden and Silver Bears and will return to Berlin in June for the award ceremonies and, so the world hopes, for a public viewing of their films.
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An Interactive Selfie Project, 2021 Front Page
And a Short History of Selfies
By: - Jan 21st, 2021There was an email invitation recently for a Zoom workshop in the UK, where one could learn how to draw a self-portrait or, as it was advertised: 'Learn how to draw a selfie...' Our Interactive Selfie Project, 2021, has wonderfully spoken to very many participants. There are now 130 selfies or almost selfies, as I called it, concluding phase 3. And, in fact, the project may yet continue.... -- Also, please read the article. Many, who have taken part, also contributed thoughtful messages.
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5th EIBAB Book Art Biennial, 2020 Front Page
And a Short History of Artists Books
By: - Nov 06th, 2020The Book as Art throughout the Centuries has led to a resurgence of artists creating Book Art in the time of eBooks. As an artistic discipline it has only been 70 years since its acceptance. The 5th European International Book Art Exhibition, 2020, celebrated the art form in the Karolyi Castle of Carei, Romania.
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B3 2020, Hello Truths, Frankfurt/Germany Front Page
And Silo Solos, Boston, MA
By: - Oct 07th, 2020The 2020 B3 Biennial in Frankfurt/Germany will open with 'Hello Truths, Extravaganza Virtuale' on October 9 in the US East Coast time zone @ 4 pm and in Frankfurt/Main @ 10 pm. The festival will be concluded after ten days on October 18. More than 100 artists from 23 countries will participate in an array of virtual events.
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Airborne Transmission Front Page
Prayer Flags for the Pandemic
By: - Sep 30th, 2020Suzette Martin's project of 200 'prayer flags' has been installed at the River Street Park in North Adams, MA, behind MASS MoCA. They have been fastened along a fence at 6' apart. A proto-project, also titled 'Airborne Transmission' of then 19 flags can still be seen on the grounds of the Eclipse Mill in North Adams. These 'flags' have been there since August. The new installation is impressive and will have a much larger impact, by reminding us that the entire Nation is still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic, now with more than 200,000 deaths in the USA. Please read below.
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Eclipse Mill Artists, North Adams, Ma. 2020 Front Page
Projects during COVID-19: Impromptu and Airborne Transmission
By: - Aug 11th, 2020Artists everywhere are communicating and presenting work virtually that was conceived and created or executed this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Life and art had mostly moved from our physical to our virtual world. Artists at the Eclipse Mill have done the same. Here we present three projects, two 'real' and one online, just a slice of artistic work that's being created in 40 studios. 'IMPROMPTU' has become a virtual exhibition on August 15 and 'Airborne Transmission' has been installed as described below.
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Corona Cookbook: Spicy African Peanut Delight Front Page
In Memory of Anthony Bourdain
By: - May 17th, 2020We had just watched Anthony Bourdain’s series, A Cook's Tour, while he visited Morocco: Casablanca, Fez, and finally the last town before reaching the desert, the Sahara. His meals there reminded us of the soup or stew that you are about to prepare – it’s most delicious!
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Corona Cook Book: Hungarian Goulash Front Page
Ungarisches Gulasch
By: - May 10th, 2020'How about Hungarian Goulash?' - he asked: 'Yes, that's a very good idea!' Hungarian Goulash is a German National dish and, of course, in Eastern European countries* as well. I grew up eating 'Ungarisches Gulasch' with boiled potatoes and green beans, perhaps, or another vegetable and a side salad. (Was it really first prepared in Hungary and when? Just as the Hamburger was coined by Americans. 'I am a Hamburger,' my cousin told an American. 'You are eating burgers!')
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Film: The 70th Berlinale 2020 Front Page
From February 20 - March 1
By: - Mar 04th, 2020The 70th Berlinale, the huge international film festival in Berlin took place between February 20th and March 1st, 2020. Great expectations were put upon the new festival leaders, Carlo Chatrian (artistic director) and Mariette Rissenbeek (executive director).
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