Dear Friends,
Welcome to the ALMANAC “Berlin – an Open City” homepage!
The ALMANAC “Berlin – an Open City” is an art project that represents a series of assemblage artists’ books on contemporary artists and writers in Berlin. Starting with 2005 the ALMANAC has now run to18 editions. The present one – the “Russian Line” – introduces the variety and depth of the contemporary world of Russian artists in Berlin. In order to visualise the ‘Russian Line’, the ALMANAC simultaneously portrays the traditional culture of ‘Russian Berlin’, which came into existence in the 1920s, and pictures ‘Russian Berlin’ as a part of both the contemporary art world and the cultural life of Berlin – a multicultural international city.
Every issue of the ALMANAC is produced in a limited number of 30 unique books. Each book is an authentic work of art with a special aura, with prints/ photos/ collages created by hand. Each issue with its handmade binding contains autographs and signatures of the authors and artists included within its pages.
We place much weight on the differences that make the ALMANAC stand out from other published periodicals. In an age of mass production and digital technology, the originality and authenticity of art becomes even more valuable. That is the reason why the ALMANAC belongs to the world of art first and for most.
The unique creation and existence of a work of art at the place and at the time where and when it is created is a concept of central importance. The book stands for the people who have created it. Each and every singular author – artist or writer – contributes to the creation of the cultural life of Berlin. In this sense the book and its authors are equally important to us. The visual and contextual design of the ALMANAC is closely connected to the breadth of self-expression of each of its authors.
We search to interpret the message of the works of art /texts in three dimensions: its message, its graphic power, and its sound representation. Each text will be recorded in audio and video format and posted at the page of the issue. As a result the whole series will become a symphony of voices from different epochs.
ALMANAC “Berlin – an Open City” – is a project of constant development. Two further developments of the project are on the way – the “English” and the “German” ALMANAC editions.
We hope to have interested you in our project. We also hope the virtual version of the ALMANAC issues will inspire you to look at the originals. Our webpage is constantly developing. In the nearest future we are going to provide precise information on the authors involved in the project. We hope you will follow all of these changes and improvements.
Kind Regards
Elena Charlamova
Welcome to the ALMANAC “Berlin – an Open City” homepage!
The ALMANAC “Berlin – an Open City” is an art project that represents a series of assemblage artists’ books on contemporary artists and writers in Berlin. Starting with 2005 the ALMANAC has now run to18 editions. The present one – the “Russian Line” – introduces the variety and depth of the contemporary world of Russian artists in Berlin. In order to visualise the ‘Russian Line’, the ALMANAC simultaneously portrays the traditional culture of ‘Russian Berlin’, which came into existence in the 1920s, and pictures ‘Russian Berlin’ as a part of both the contemporary art world and the cultural life of Berlin – a multicultural international city.
Every issue of the ALMANAC is produced in a limited number of 30 unique books. Each book is an authentic work of art with a special aura, with prints/ photos/ collages created by hand. Each issue with its handmade binding contains autographs and signatures of the authors and artists included within its pages.
We place much weight on the differences that make the ALMANAC stand out from other published periodicals. In an age of mass production and digital technology, the originality and authenticity of art becomes even more valuable. That is the reason why the ALMANAC belongs to the world of art first and for most.
The unique creation and existence of a work of art at the place and at the time where and when it is created is a concept of central importance. The book stands for the people who have created it. Each and every singular author – artist or writer – contributes to the creation of the cultural life of Berlin. In this sense the book and its authors are equally important to us. The visual and contextual design of the ALMANAC is closely connected to the breadth of self-expression of each of its authors.
We search to interpret the message of the works of art /texts in three dimensions: its message, its graphic power, and its sound representation. Each text will be recorded in audio and video format and posted at the page of the issue. As a result the whole series will become a symphony of voices from different epochs.
ALMANAC “Berlin – an Open City” – is a project of constant development. Two further developments of the project are on the way – the “English” and the “German” ALMANAC editions.
We hope to have interested you in our project. We also hope the virtual version of the ALMANAC issues will inspire you to look at the originals. Our webpage is constantly developing. In the nearest future we are going to provide precise information on the authors involved in the project. We hope you will follow all of these changes and improvements.
Kind Regards
Elena Charlamova