Colourful Research -- a Creative Diary

My Dad was a preacher in
this church for a few years

The other day I visited my old home Bergedorf which is part of Hamburg since 1937, a fact which until today hasn't been accepted by old Bergedorfians who refer to Bergedorf, every time they mention the "town".


 I passed by the old church which rests on medieval foundations; what you see is from the 17th century or so. And there is this cute little railway station, opened in 1842. It is the oldest still existing station in Germany. It became quite important during the Blast of 1842 when a great deal of the homeless citizens were evacuated on this new vehicle. And a few yards away, there is the old freight-yard, built in 1906. The buildings don't have a function for traffic any more, they are living houses, and one of them, the magazine building, is an artist's studio. He is a friend of mine. I showed his work recently on my blog. He lives and works in the old building, sacrificing a lot of what we call comfort for his art. He was just painting a theatre costume for his son; my visit came as a surprise. He told me about an act of vandalism, committed against pieces of his art which are exposed outside the studio.

Artist Oliver Hertel

One of the sculptures had been beheaded, but he was able to glue it. Later, the guy came to him and confessed that he had been in a rage, due to drugs, and he was very sorry and promised Oliver to lend him a hand.

The "tree souls" stand on their pedestals or on a mirror, silently smiling. I had tea and a chat from heart to heart with my kindred spirit. I rarely see him, but I feel so close to him.