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Sergei Afonkin / |
Rick Beech / |
Nick Robinson / |
• At the very last minute, I decided funds would permit me to attend the annual convention of Origami Deutschland, held this year in Berlin. This would not have been possible without the generous offer of Origami Deutschland to cover some of my expenses, for which I am eternally grateful! As an avid reader of their magazine "der falter" (well, I look at the pictures & struggle with the words!) the prospect of attending was mouth-watering.
• I travelled via Heathrow to save costs (roll on the Sheffield airport!) and arrived in Berlin on Friday afternoon. After some slight(!) problems with explaining where I wanted to go, I reached the Morgenländische Frauenmission in Steglitz just in time for a filling vegetarian meal. I was pleased to see several other Brits in attendance; Dave Brill, David Lister, John Smith, Rick Beech, John Cunliffe and expatriate Edwin Corrie, currently engaged as a technical translator for Audi, who evidently don't supply their staff with free cars! The guest of honour was Sergei Afonkin (alias the "Russian Bear") with whom I had previously met at York and exchanged several e-mails with. The main room was light and airy, with tables full of avid folders and a large number of exhibition tables. I admitted defeat at 11pm and collapsed into my bed.
• Breakfast introduced me to the first of several thousand slices of cheese I was to consume over the weekend and we began folding at 9am. The schedule for the weekend consisted of the directions "falten, falten, falten!" ("fold, fold, fold" in case you wondered) interrupted only by the usual meals. There were two main sessions at any one time, but many people simply grabbed a chair and folded in small groups. I was heartened to see the enthusiasm for simple folds which characterised every person there. I sometimes get the feeling that the BOS is perhaps too "experienced" in some ways and that we can loose the pure delight of folding in search of exceptional or impressive designs.
• Organiser Oliver Drewien was kept very busy sorting out accommodation and meals for late attendees (guilty!) but still had time to welcome everyone. Chairman Heinz Strobl, in a dapper suit, was the perfect host, demonstrating the apparently common ability to speak near-perfect English. Silke Schroeder was rarely seen, spending most of the weekend running the impressive supplies room. The range of books and paper was a clear target for the new, improved BOS supplies setup; Dave Brill and I have noted down several possible areas where we can take inspiration from. Amongst the stock were a full range of the superb Oru magazine, Dave's wonderful "Brilliant Origami" and Rick's fine "Discover Origami", the latter two tomes both targets for some extended autograph sessions!
• I was delighted to meet the Brazilian meister-falter-editor Paulo Mulatinho, whose impressive graphical skills and deep love for origami have turned "der falter" into perhaps the best origami magazine around. I say this with all due deference to the sterling efforts of Joan and others! Paulo has the uncanny gift (shared by Thoki Yenn) to impress and inspire all who meet him.
• My afternoon session was typical of the efforts made by Origami Deutschland. I suggested we might try some wet-folding, but there was no suitable paper. The remarkably organised Susanna (erk - forgotten her surname) hauled me into her BMW and we frantically searched Berlin for suitable paper, despite the shops closing at 1pm. By the time the session started, she had cut the paper into neat squares, obtained some sponges, cut them to size, moistened them & placed each one in a plastic bag! The technique was new to most Germans but I managed to get my philosophical ramblings across fairly well.
• In the evening, Dave Brill ran his infamous (sorry, customary) exhibition review, an experience new to the Germans. Luckily for him, Edwin was able to translate his questions into German and their replies back into English. This worked fine until Sergei naughtily gave his comments in Russian and insisted Dave translated them! He managed this in a remarkably concise fashion, summarising 5 minutes of Russian into a few mere words of English. Heinz Strobl's display reflected his continuing fascination for geometric shapes folded from strips of narrow telex paper. One design in particular was quite wonderful, a cross formed using 60 degree geometry. His teaching services were in strong demand across the weekend. John Smith also ran several sessions based around his latest book of origami pop-ups. Needless to say, the folding continued early into the morning...
• Sunday followed much the same pattern of "falten, falten, falten" and I'm pleased to report that the last three people folding at 4pm Sunday were Lister, Smith & Robinson. Sad yet optimistic farewells were made. That evening, a small crowd made an excursion into the former East Germany to sample more culinary delights, liberally washed down (very liberally in Dave's case!) with light-dark beer, dark dark beer & other obscure permutations. We failed miserably to count the 40 odd steps down to the loo; through some strange trick of nature, there were different numbers of steps going down compared to coming up. Or the other way round, or possibly neither. We were amazed and dismayed that the pub closed at a mere 11pm. On return to the meeting hall, we carried on chattering into the early hours.
• Monday morning saw the few remaining Brits visit the Reichstag (it was closed!) and gaze at the Brandenburg Gate, before rapidly sobering at the sight of a section of the infamous Berlin Wall, pock-marked with bullet holes. We ate a meal within yards of the wall, reflecting on the magnitude of mans capacity to harm other men. The whole area was a hive of industry as economic & physical reconstruction laid the foundations for a prosperous, united Berlin.
• At 4pm I left with Paulo & Silke, bound for their home in Freising, but the two-lane autobahn soon came to a dead halt for three hours. We spent the time cursing East German efficiency and folding with nearby drivers. One lucky child ended up with a free book, courtesy of the ever-generous Paulo. We staggered home at 2am and unloaded the supplies. Silke had to rise at 7am to return the van to nearby Munich, but she still managed to join us in (more) cheese and (more) beer - my kinda gal!
• Tuesday saw Dave Brill join us - he had sensibly flown down in less than an hour & was forced to drink alone the previous night. We went on a guided tour of Freising, the most unspoilt town you will ever see in Germany or probably elsewhere. They were celebrating 1000 years of Freising, but the 100 year old photos in each shop showed that little had changed since that time. We visited a superb example of Rococo (icing cake) architecture in a local church before settling down for, well, cheese & beer. That evening saw many local folders gather at a hostelry where we folded, supped, folded & thoroughly pigged ourselves. We prepared Silke for a possible visit to Yorkshire by teaching her "What's tha think o' me air", "Tha's barmy thee" and other less salubrious phrases. Back home to Paulo & Silke's, we spent a happy hour or two filling the remaining gaps in our stomachs with wine and (more) cheese. As you will gather, a visit to Germany plays havoc with your waist-line, but fills you with such a satisfying glow at the warmth & friendship of origami-folk everywhere.
• Tuesday saw myself & Dave fly home (on separate flights) where I suffered a 1.5 hour trip from Heathrow to London and a 4 hour crawl from London to Sheffield. Typically, Paulo rang to make sure I had arrived safely. I can not thank Origami Deutschland enough for their impeccable treatment of overseas guests (a lesson to us all), unfailing kindness and generosity. If you ever get the chance, get yourselves over there and "falten, falten, falten!"
Nick Robinson
