Detroit-Berlin Connection hits Germany for idea exchange

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Berlin entrepreneur Dimitri Hegemann made news in late 2014 when he revealed he was eyeing Detroit’s abandoned Fisher Body Plant 21 as a potential complex to follow in the footsteps of Kraftwerk, a repurposed German power plant-turned-multipurpose event and cultural center famous for housing the landmark techno club Tresor.

Hegemann’s idea is part of a much grander vision called the Detroit-Berlin Connection, a Transatlantic cultural exchange program between Detroit and Berlin with teams in both cities. Since the program’s announcement in late 2014, the Berliners have hosted several Detroit-based lectures: there was a November presentation at Trinosophes and a May conference at MOCAD, for example.

Just more than a week ago, the Detroit team — as well as Detroit city council members, architects, investors, and developers, plus Packard Plant owner Fernando Palazuelo — made their way to Berlin to observe how the city transformed itself from a post-war zone to one of Europe’s top cultural epicenters. The idea is to bring some of the concepts back to the Motor City.
http://www.freep.com/story/entertain...rlin/71393294/

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“I’m excited about some of the concepts I’ve seen, but Detroit is still different from Berlin,” she continued. “For example, their 24-hour culture may not be possible, so it’s a matter of figuring out how we can change these ideas to fit Detroit.”.

Lame. Why not? It's may be not be possible in all parts of city, but we should strive for it instead of make excuses we can't.

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and the East German government ceased to exist, all East German government buildings immediately became abandoned. Artists moved into 'the Old East' for its dirt cheap rents and ample empty space. That is now changing - it's getting expensive and bohemian artists in the Old East are being replaced by hipsters, many of whom are American.

One female hipster who moved to Berlin had to pay twelve months rent in advance to secure the property over other tenants.

I have friends who converted an abandoned East German 'Stasi' [[secret police) building into a recording studio and squat home. It was a behemoth of a building with nice acoustics but a horrible, creepy vibe otherwise.

IMHO, Fisher 21 is a bit big for a nightclub venue, unless a concert venue for live music and other art installations/galleries are put into it.

Broadly, Detroiters and Berliners have a fascination with each others cities. I'm talking about the younger crowd - not sure about older ones.

The vision for Fisher Body is not just strictly a nightclub venue.

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Originally Posted by night-timer

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and the East German government ceased to exist, all East German government buildings immediately became abandoned. Artists moved into 'the Old East' for its dirt cheap rents and ample empty space. That is now changing - it's getting expensive and bohemian artists in the Old East are being replaced by hipsters, many of whom are American.

One female hipster who moved to Berlin had to pay twelve months rent in advance to secure the property over other tenants.

I have friends who converted an abandoned East German 'Stasi' [[secret police) building into a recording studio and squat home. It was a behemoth of a building with nice acoustics but a horrible, creepy vibe otherwise.

IMHO, Fisher 21 is a bit big for a nightclub venue, unless a concert venue for live music and other art installations/galleries are put into it.

Broadly, Detroiters and Berliners have a fascination with each others cities. I'm talking about the younger crowd - not sure about older ones.

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