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Jeden Monat nähern sich unsere Kolumnisten, die Berliner Filmemacher Dominik und Benjamin Reding, dem jeweiligen Heftthema
auf ihre ganz eigene Art und Weise. Geboren wurden die Zwillinge am 3. Ja nuar 1969 in Dortmund. Während Dominik Architektur
in Aachen und Film in Hamburg studierte, absolvierte Benjamin ein Schauspielstudium in Stuttgart. 1997 begann die Arbeit an ihrem
ersten gemeinsamen Kinofilm „Oi! Warning“. Seitdem arbeiten sie für Fernseh- und Kinofilmprojekte zusammen.
Each month our columnists, Berlin-based filmmakers Dominik and Benjamin Reding, approach the respective issue-specific theme
in their very personal way. The twins were born on January 3, 1969 in Dortmund. Whilst Dominik studied architecture in Aachen
and film in Hamburg, Benjamin graduated in acting studies in Stuttgart. They started working on their first joint motion picture “Oi!
Warning“ in 1997. Since then they have tightly collaborated for TV and cinema film projects.

T hat looks great," he said. Yeah, it did, certainly, well, sort of. The stackable furni- opposite the SPD party headquarters. A wide oak staircase leads up. She lives on the
second floor. I have informed myself about the latest furnishing trends and put them
ture was new and colourful, the surfaces smooth, the frames were made of light,
polished wood. They reminded me of boxes. We sat on the carpet, in a kind of shaft, on a list: retro look, hygge, mid-century style, greenery, industrial chic, upcycling. The
surrounded by the stackable furniture, which one could use as a cupboard and table, hallway is long and dark, the ceilings are high, the apartment is huge. "But I only live
perhaps also as a buffer stop or bunker wall. He proudly mentioned the company in one room." "How big?" She looks around in surprise and walks through it, once
name, I understood something like "Flottolotto" and the group nodded approvingly. It's lengthwise, once crosswise. "20 square metres." "Isn't that too small?" Once again, she
the young people! Every trend researcher, every market analyst, every futurologist looks around in surprise. "No, I don't need it to be any bigger." The room is bright, with
knows that. They are the conquerors, discoverers, innovators, without them nothing a loft bed, a platform, and a green carpet. I keep my eyes open, looking for hygge and
works in art, fashion, music, and design. If you want to find out about the latest design mid-century and retro looks. And I discover, after all, a silvery painted gypsum deer
trends, you have to go to Milan to attend the Furniture Fair or you have to take a look above the bed. "It's from Grandpa, I upcycled it." Susu smiles, is pleased about the
at the homes of young people. "In fact, only those who design cups are immortal. Cups trendy term she used. I ask what is important to her about the furnishings. "Strings of
and plates are always left over at every breakup of a household." So, he had bought a lights, one is under the loft bed." I'm looking at the green carpet, pretending to know:
set of crockery for the angular cubic cupboards that was about as angular, colourful "Ah, greenery!" "Greene ... what?" She stops and wonders. "It should be fluffy so you
and impractical as his modular furniture. It was called "FlashOne" and cost a lot, but can enjoy sitting on it." I ask what would be particularly important to her in her own
if you owned it, you could be sure to be absolutely up-to-date. This was how we cele- four walls and she answers: "We have painted over everything." Susu rummages out
brated the housewarming party in the first two cups, a collection cup with a gold rim
own flat of my fellow student many years ago. ("This one was here already!") and a cup from
He had unusable furniture, unusable cups, the "FlashOne" tableware with a broken han-
they were trendy, and he was happy. dle ("I found it on the street!") and pours tea.
Berlin in spring 2019. New tenants in the apart - "You coated what?" "Our wall paintings so the
ment building. The young couple stood in the real estate guys can't leave them in their
hallway, surrounded by their household goods offices, as a Berlin souvenir." She no longer
and two furniture-packing friends. One of them speaks of the apartment, she speaks of the
shouted, "Wow, that's absolutely fab." I looked closed youth centre, of broken politicians'
around. What did he possibly refer to? promises, of the kids who cried on the last day.
Definitely not this thing... "Cool, shabby chic," My gaze wanders from the silver deer over the
said the other one. Shabby chic? A sofa stood green carpet to the chippy cups. I'm listening,
in the hallway. One that we architecture stu- thoughts wandering along: What would the
dents wouldn't even have picked from bulky youth centre have to do with the topic of
waste back then. With baroque scrolls made of "Living" of the current issue, what would it
plastic, gold from the spray paint can, and a have to do with architecture, what with
cover patterned like the wallpaper in a pub's design? The furnishing was nothing but a mud-
back room. They bravely grasped the sofa from dle, no architect, no designer had ever touched
the mail-order company and hefted it up to the a beer glass, let alone designed it. Only the
fourth floor. Followed by an "old German" tel- walls, they were like works of art, bright,
evision chair, which even an Upper Bavarian Foto: Benjamin Reding colourful, chaotic. What should be featured in
farmer would have spurned as "gruesome". an architecture magazine? Notes on exorbitant
"That's the hottest piece, totally retro," the rents and speculation? Criticism of the greed of
helper shouted and the young couple smiled happily. And for me it became a certainty: the real estate industry? Despair at the break-up of our society? That something is
I'm out, I'm old, I'm out. I don't know anything about the design desires of young peo- wrong when the same people are always standing at the reverse vending machines: old
ple. Is that supposed to change? It has to! Susu Carrot is an influencer. She doesn't care, people, handicapped people, migrants? Or would this overstretch the format, abuse the
but she is an influencer because she was on TV! Hundreds of thousands have seen it. column, make the reader bored, angry, feel underestimated? Would it have been right
She had to hand over a key to a councilman who closed a youth centre where she used in 1932 to warn against the emerging dictator in the forerunner of AIT, or to praise Rudi
to work, on an honorary basis. The building is being sold. To a London real estate firm. Dutschke in 1968, or to point out the dangers of nuclear energy in 1977? Or isn't it just
At a great profit. Susu Carrot is not Susu Carrot, but in the youth centre where she used the other way around, isn't art always the answer to realities, the attempt to improve
work, they all had names of their own choice: Leopard Weasel, World Conquering Tiger, them, to overcome them? Isn't the silver deer an expression of protest just as much as
The Beast from the East. Susu, this must come from Susan. And Carrot? She doesn't demonstrations against the closure of a youth centre? Isn't a well-designed chair at least
have a somehow "vegetable" surname and she doesn't have red hair either, but maybe as sustainable as saving the Hambach Forest? Or is it too vapid, too simple, too prim-
she used to dye it. Susu is 22 years old, works on the exhibition design at the itive, too ... "Crack! Clank! Splash!" The tea runs over the table, dissolves into trickles,
Humboldt-Forum, and moved into her first own apartment two months ago. Her first drips onto the carpet. "Shabby chic", Susu says, looks at the broken handle and pushes
flat! Her first! own! apartment! I ask her if I could come and visit her, no, I beg. And she the shards of the "FlashOne" cup together. "Do you want to come to the demo for the
agrees. The apartment is located in an old building on Wilhelmstrasse, diagonally rescue of the youth centre? It's about to start." I’m considering it. "Yes," I say.

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