Lower East

Talk, workshop and dinner

Visit in our Lower East Lab Berlin from the Danish folk high school Vallekilde Højskole.

Over two days in september 2023 we offered two different groups from the school a talk, a workshop, a little urban safari in the city – and a dinner in the evening in our Camillo’s Kitchen.

Two very lovely, cosy, creative and inspiring days. A lot of good talks, questions and reflections on the work, life, future and dreams took place in the lab.

Here some picture from the days.

 

Present mood in the lab

The ‘updated’ lower east lab berlin – ready to welcome (almost) what ever you can come up with

We are so happy with our lab, we are full of good, new energy with this place we have had for eight years now – the home of lower east design, lower east lab and camillo’s kitchen lab.

Recently we have had quite a few guests in the lab, among them the board of a Danish theater (for a day-long meeting and later in the evening for a full menu dinner), a group of students and teachers from a Danish folk high school came by (for an introduction to our universe, a ‘mini urban safari’ and for a dinner), a creative communication company used the space for a one day workshop, with both talks and yoga on the program.

Very soon there will be a new film production taking place in the lab – and shortly thereafter the lab will be transformed into a fashion show room for 4 days.

Between all the hustle and bustle the lab functions as our design studio. Right now we are finishing the work on the new cookbook from Camillo’s Kitchen, we are working on a book about the Danish designer Verner Panton, on a visual identity for a non-profit organization, graphic stuff for an exhibition in Belgium and other very fine projects.

After the summer ’22 we again will open up for Camillo’s Kitchen dinners in the lab.

You can rent the space when you need an awesome space in the finest backyard in town, Kreuzberg, Berlin.

Call +45 40636899 or (even better) send an email to js@lowereastlab.de

• lower east lab berlin – design studio, creative learning space, workshop space, meeting room, co-working space, home of lower east design.
• camillo’s kitchen lab – where new recipes, new menus are developed and tested, cook books are developed, designed, illustrated and written. Casual test dinners are held – food eaten, and wine drunken.

Explore the lower east lab

Explore, use, rent, visit, enjoy the Lower East Lab Berlin. Our lab, placed centrally in lovely Kreuzberg, works as a design studio, a workshop space, a meeting room, a pop-up gallery, a pop-up dinner space, a co-working space, a work-away-from-home space – you can have talks & gatherings – you can use it as a showroom, for photo shoots or photo studio. You just have to fix a date with us. The size of the lab is 200 square meters. Study the pictures. And reach out if you want to know more! js@lowereastlab.de or +45 40636899.

Breakfast talks

Breakfast talks in the lower east lab!

We are starting a new ‘thing’ in the lower east lab; breakfast talks. Now and then we will pop-up with morning gatherings  where we invite sweet and interesting people and projects to the lab. Invite for a coffee and a talk. For this debut we have on Wednesday February 21th our dear friends from Denmark; Culture Works in the lab.

We, lower east lab, will shortly present what we are doing in the lower east lab, plans and ideas for the future – and Culture Works will give an intro to their work. We will also touch what common interests we have, and why we are fascinated and inspired by each others work. From there we don’t know what will happen, maybe some Q&A, some sharing of dreams and reflections with guests showing up. We are looking forward to what you bring, what made you show up.

Give us a sign lab@lowereastlab.com if you want to join!

You can also let us know if you want to participate in further breakfast talks – and if you have projects, businesses or plans that could be a topic for the next breakfast talk.

 

Culture Works is an international cultural agency that creates concepts, brand activation and iconic events. The agency consists of all sorts of creatives from designers, engineers to writers and craftsmen. United by the love for culture and urge to create. From the offices in Aarhus and Copenhagen, they design and execute activations and brands all over Europe. But what really sets Culture Works aside from other creative agencies is the fact, that approx. half of the projects are their own. Like Creativity World Forum 2017 –  Europe’s largest conference on creativity in 2017, which gathered more than 2000 creatives from all over the world in a November cold Aarhus.

Check their website for more info.

 

18 incredible design museums

We just stumbled over this blog; Creative Bloq, with a blog post where they have collected “18 incredible design museum trips“. Go check the museums out, there’s a lot of interesting places to visit. We at Lower East have managed to visit five of them so far – still 13 to go!

The list includes Museum of Modern Art, New York, Design Museum, London, The V&A, London, Bauhaus Archive, Berlin, Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Design Museum, Copenhagen, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, Museum of Design, Zürich and nine more.

See the blog post here.

Photo from our visits at Centre Pompidou in Paris, Design Museum Danmark, MoMA, New York and Bauhaus Archive, Berlin.

 

Food Safari Berlin 2015

Lower East, Lower East Lab, Urban Safari Berlin and Camillo’s Kitchen presents: Food Safari Berlin.
[Text, both in english and danish]

 

Berlin er en vidunderlig, pulserende og stemningsfyldt storby! Det perfekte spot at tjekke ud og dykke ned i, hvis du ønsker at blive inspireret, få nye idéer og undersøge nye business-muligheder.

Byen byder på kreative iværksættere, inspirerende miljøer, cool udstillingssteder, en vild og omskiftelig historie – og i disse år en meget levende og ‘street’ madscene.

I denne skønne storbyjungle inviterer vi på en intens to-dages FOOD SAFARI BERLIN.

Her introducerer vi dig for kreative spisesteder og opfindsomme restauratører, hvis koncepter forener gourmet med kant. Vi besøger og undersøger bugnende madmarkeder, med masser af økologi og masser af lokale varer. Vi taler med passionerede og succesrige mad-vin-kaffe-folk og hører deres historier. Vi tjekker fede locations og berlinske indretningsidéer ud.

Vi åbner døre man normalt ikke finder, i baggårde man som regel ikke bevæger sig ind i – og smager selvfølgelig på alle de fundne skatte på vores vej.

FOOD SAFARI BERLIN 2015:
#1: Torsdag og fredag 16-17 april.
#2: Slutningen af august / eller midt september.
Forslag til andre datoer modtages gerne, vi arrangerer med glæde en special-safari.
Find mere info via dette link til vores hjemmeside.

——-

Berlin is a wonderful, vibrant and evocative metropole! A perfect spot to explore if you want to get some fresh inspiration, think of (old and) new ideas, and to check out for new business possibilities.

The city is right now a melting pot of start-ups, ­entrepreneurs, fresh ­ideas, inspiring atmospheres, cool exhibition ­venues, an innovative and ‘street’ food scene and just amazing corners. In this lovely city jungle we invite you for an intense 2day FOOD SAFARI BERLIN.

Here we will introduce you to creative restaurants and innovative restaurant owners. We will visit and study food markets, with lots of organic and local goods. We will meet passionated and successful food-wine-coffee people and hear their stories. We will check out cool locations and seek for inspiring typical Berlin interior ideas.

We will open doors you normally don’t find, in back yards you normally don’t go – and will of course taste the treasures we find on our way.

Food Safari Berlin 2015
#1: Thursday and Friday, April 16th and 17th.
#2: End of August or mid of September
You are very welcome to suggest your favorite dates – we will be happy to arrange a special safari for you.
Find more info at our website (parts of it in Danish – let us know if your want help with understanding the stuff).

The Intern speaking – How to promote Lower East Lab

Over the last couple of weeks I have been working with the question – how to promote Lower East Lab? What can we do right here and now? What will need time to grow and what would happen if we had no limitations and could do whatever we wanted?

Can we do a big billboard in the middle of Alexander Platz, should we cover the city in cool posters and stickers, do we need a bike or a bathtub for the entrance? So people can find us when they are invited to different events. And what about all the inspiration going on at The Lab – how can we promote that? All questions I have been asking myself the last couple of weeks – to push me to be open, creative and to come up with the best ideas possible.

The great thing about this process is that you can stay open minded all the way because nothings has to be settled right away. You can always pick and choose at the end.

This is some pictures of my process and the products I have been working on. All of them still in process…

/ Casper, the intern

 

Letter Museum Berlin / Buchstabenmuseum Berlin

Buchstabenmuseum Berlin is a wonderful place. Out of love and passion for typography two graphic designers began to collect old letters from company facades. They created a “retirement home“ for the letters “gone out of business”. It is such a great idea. The letters are kept for the future and you find all kinds of documentation of where the letters came from etc. If you have interest in typography, studying graphic design etc., you should definately go and visit this place. It is a totally private initiative, so by visiting the museum you support the conservation and documentation of all these beautiful letters.
More info at the museum website and on the facebook page

Meet n’ greet n’ eat

Lower East hosted our first great event in our new lab in Berlin – Lower East Lab – a 200 square metres creative space in the middle of Kreuzberg. A workshop with 25 students, two teachers from Suhrs Madakademiet (a folk high school in Copenhagen, focusing on food, culture, gastronomy, health and good ingredients), and five food people living in Berlin; Tommy Tannock (Bite Club), Polina Marchenko (Kptn Cook), Maria Siedlaczek (Kitchen Surfing), Lauren Lee (Fräulein Kimchi) and ‘our own’ Jørgen Smidstrup (Camillos Paladar). Rasmus Schou Therkildsen and Louise Schou Therkildsen from Dönerkind, arranged and facilitated the workshop. In groups we were talking, drawing and discussing food trends – one group was cooking kimchikäsespätzle for everyone together with Fräulein Kimchi. Good people, good food and good vibes. We all had a lot of fun. Thank you all for coming here.

Hosting this event gave us a lot of energy and ideas about how much potential we have with this lab. The guests felt relaxed, uplifted and inspired by the space. We are looking forward to the coming events… You are most welcome to contact Lower East if you/your company/your group are coming to Berlin and need a great space for meetings, dinners, workshops, a classroom… Imagination is the only limit…
www.lowereast.de   Jørgen: js@lowereast.dk   Helle: helle@lowereast.dk

See more about Suhrs Madakademiet, Fraulein Kimchi, Bite Club, KptnCook, Kitchen Surfing, Dönerkind

Today’s Picture – from June 2013

Lower East are still walking the streets with the iphone’s camera ready, searching for Today’s Picture. Trying to capture the day in one picture. We are catching up on 2013 – here we show the pictures from June ’13 – this month pictures are; one from Berlin, some from Denmark and some from Uganda (yes, very much on the travel…).

We choose the coolest one, or the most beautiful one, or the one that tells the best story of the day.

Today’s Picture from March & April ’13

Lower East are still searching for Today’s Picture. Trying to capture the day in one picture. Here we show the pictures from March and April 2013 – all of them from Berlin, Germany, except one from Aarhus, Denmark.

We are showing the coolest one, or the most beautiful one, or the one that tells the best story of the day. All of them being carefully treated and maybe improved in photoshop.

Urban Safari Berlin September 2013

Obama was here in June. John F. Kennedy back in 1963, 40,000 runners ran the Berlin Marathon this year, Berlin Pride 2013 attracted about 800,000 participants and spectators. Up til now more than 35 adventurous people have been on Urban Safari in Berlin.

Now it’s your turn! Come join us on an intense 2day safari into this urban jungle. We have on September 12 and 13 put together a journey for you with special focus on inspiring business, creative spaces, the co-working scene and sparkling start-ups. (If the dates doesn’t fit your calendar, the next Safari is planned to October 28 and 29).

The vibrant metropole Berlin, is right now a melting pot of start-ups, young entrepreneurs, fresh ideas, inspiring atmospheres, cool exhibition venues, cosy cafés & restaurants and just amazing corners. A perfect spot to explore, make you smile, think of (old and) new ideas, wonder about how funny & crazy some ideas can be – and simply enjoy the love for new, small and bigger beautiful things.

The Urban Safari is a co-creative initiative of changels (Bern) and Lower East (Berlin).

Helle Marietta and Jørgen Smidstrup have based their design company, Lower East, in Berlin since the end of 2011 and have been exploring the “arm, aber sexy“ city ever since. Matti Straub-Fischer, from changels, have after several visits insisted on creating an opportunity for others to dig into this diverse mix of creativity, design and playfulness. Together they organize and host the Urban Safari Berlin – first one held in November ‘12 and again in April and May ‘13.

This is the deal:

• We will start on Thursday morning, September 12, 2013, at 10:00 in our classroom, in a coworking space in Berlin.
• We will be a group of around 15 curious and interesting people like yourself. Invitations will be spread with sure hands in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and in Scandinavia.
• We will be safaring on bikes, and on foot, by U-Bahn and again on bikes – the most fun way to explore and stop and go again.
• We will have time to follow our noses, our instincts, enjoy the crème-de-la-crème of the Lower East and changels exploration so far in this town.
• We will have a space, where we can listen and discuss – and share inspiration and our inputs.
• We will have time to reflect, to talk, to draw, to sketch, to laugh and to enjoy.
• We will be done by Friday afternoon, September 13, 2013 at 17:00. Here we finish up at a (start-up &) very cosy winebar NOR (not only riesling) in Kreuzberg with a glass of ‘see you again’ wine.

Matti, Helle and Jørgen will be your scouts, hosts and the facilitators for the Urban Safari.

Together with Camillos Paladar, we will all put up a playful and inspiring dinner on Thursday night. Camillos Paladar is a pop-up (mostly in Copenhagen, Berlin and Bern) dinner concept with gorgeous food and remarkable wines. That alone is worth the journey. By chance, Mr. Camillo is similar to Mr. Smidstrup.

Are you ready for this adventure with us?

Here is the small-printed stuff:

• You sign up with an e-mail to Jørgen Smidstrup or Matti Straub. ASAP – it is first come, first serve.
• You book your own flight or travels to Berlin. You book your own overnight stays. We suggest you some beautiful places like Hüttenpalast, Casa Camper or IMA Lofts. We can get you in contact with some cool private flats as well.
• Your costs will be €700 (as a private or a one woman/man company) or € 950 (if the company pays) for the two days in the urban jungle with food and drinks included for the time between Thursday, 10:00 to Friday, 17:00. Bike rentals, U-Bahn tickets, and the meeting and kitchen facilities are covered in this.
• Empty your head. Bring comfortable clothes and shoes, your notebook, some kind of a camera, some coloured pens, an umbrella (just in case) and your toothbrush.
• And if you want to peek, here are a few marbles… www.huettenpalast.de, www.imalofts.com, www.casacamper.com/berlin, www.prinzessinnengarten.net, www.betahaus.de, www.agoracollective.org

If you like, you can of course invite a dear friend or your partner to enjoy the weekend after with you in this mind-boggling place.

Feel free to share this invitation to other potential safarists – and to contact us for any questions. changels www.changels.ch
Matti Straub-Fischer matti@changels.ch
Lower East www.lowereast.dk
Helle Marietta helle@lowereast.dk Jørgen Smidstrup js@lowereast.dk

Today’s Picture February 2013

Lower East are still searching for Today’s Picture. Trying to capture the day in one picture. Here we show the pictures from February – from Aarhus and Copenhagen, Denmark via Berlin, Germany to Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Some miles…

We are showing the coolest one, or the most beautiful one, or the one that tells the best story of the day. All of them being carefully treated and maybe improved in photoshop.

Today’s Pic November & December

A collection of Lower East’ “Today’s Picture“ from the periode mid November to end of December 2012. This time photos from Berlin, Germany, from Aarhus, Denmark and from Bern, Switzerland.

We are still showing the coolest one, or the most beautiful one, or the one that tells the best story of the day. All of them being carefully treated and maybe improved in photoshop. The search for the picture of the day continues.

Earlier posts under the category Today’s Picture.

Urban Safari Berlin 2013

Why not give yourself a New Year present?

Berlin is a vibrant metropole, a melting pot of young entrepreneurs and fresh ­ideas, funky design and inspiring inviting atmospheres. A perfect spot to be diving into, make you smile, think of old and new ideas, wonder about how funny & crazy some ideas can be – and simply enjoy the love for new, small and bigger beautiful things.

We invite you on an intense 2day safari into this urban jungle with its many creative ­spaces, cool exhibition venues, cosy cafés & restaurants, sparkling start-ups, simply ­beautiful ­magazine- and bookshops and just amazing corners. We have put together an ­inspiring ­journey for you to get a powerful bouquet of the colorful start-up flower power of this city.

This Urban Safari is taking place April 4 & 5, 2013 – and it’s a co-creative initiative of changels (Bern) and Lower East (Berlin and Copenhagen).

Helle Marietta and Jørgen Smidstrup have moved their design company, ­Lower East, from Copenhagen to Berlin by the end of 2011 and have been ­exploring the “arm, aber sexy“ city ever since. Matti Straub-Fischer, from ­changels, have joined the two for visits on several occasions and insisted on ­creating an opportunity for others to this ­diverse mix of creativity, design and ­playfulness. Together they arranged the first succesful Urban Safari in sunny and joyful days in November.

Here is the deal: 

• We will start on Thursday morning, April 4, 2013, at 10:00 in our classroom (tba), at a ­coworking space in Berlin.
• We will be a group of 12-15 curious and interesting people like yourself. ­Invitations will be spread with sure hands in Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Scandinavia.
• We will be safaring on bikes, and on foot, by U-Bahn and again on bikes – the most fun way to explore and stop and go again.
• We will have time to follow our noses, our instincts, enjoy the crème-de-la-crème of the Lower East and changels exploration so far in this town.
• We will have the most wonderful classroom and meeting space, where we can listen and discuss – and share inspiration and our inputs.
• We will have time to reflect, to talk, to draw, to sketch, to smoke, to poke, to laugh and to enjoy.
• We will be done by Friday afternoon, April 5, 2013 at 17:00. Here we finish up at a (start-up and) very cosy winebar NOR (not only riesling) in Kreuzberg with a glass of ­farewell wine.

After the Urban Safari, you will receive a rich visual ­documentation on our days in Berlin.
Matti, Helle and Jørgen will be your scouts, hosts and the facilitators for the Urban ­Safari.

Together with Camillos Paladar, we will all put up a fantastic dinner on ­Thursday night. ­Camillos Paladar is a pop-up (mostly in Copenhagen, Berlin and Bern) ­restaurant with ­gorgeous food and remarkable wines. That alone is worth the ­journey. By chance, Mr. Camillo is similar to Mr. Smidstrup.

Are you ready for this adventure with us?

Here is the small-printed stuff:

• You sign up with an e-mail to Jørgen Smidstrup or Matti Straub. ASAP – it is first come, first serve.
• You book your own flight or travels to Berlin.
• You book your own overnight stays. We ­suggest you some beautiful places like Hüttenpalast, Casa Camper or IMA Lofts. We can get you in contact with some cool private flats as well.
• Your costs will be CHF 850 / €700 (as a private or a one man/woman company) or CHF 1150 / € 950 (if the company pays) for the two days in the urban jungle with food and drinks ­included for the time between Thursday, 10:00 to Friday, 17:00. Bike rentals, U-Bahn ­tickets, and the meeting and kitchen facilities are covered in this.

Empty your head. Bring comfortable clothes and shoes, your notebook, some kind of a camera, some coloured pens, an umbrella (just in case) and your toothbrush.

And if you want to peek, here are a few marbles…
www.huettenpalast.de, www.imalofts.com, www.casacamper.com/berlin
www.prinzessinnengarten.net, www.betahaus.de, www.wostel.de

And if you like, you can of course invite a dear friend or your partner to enjoy the rest of the weekend with you in this mind-boggling place.

Feel free to share this invitation to other potential safarists – and to contact us for any ­questions.

changels 
Matti Straub-Fischer (matti@changels.ch)

Lower East 
Helle Marietta (helle@lowereast.dk)
Jørgen Smidstrup (js@lowereast.dk)

Take a walk on the slow side

One of the very best places in Berlin to seek for a peaceful hour. The Dreifaltigkeitsfriedhof in Kreuzberg. A slow walk here, mostly with a camera in hand, often give us a new way of seeing things, fresh ideas on current issues & topics, or maybe new and inspiring things just pop up in our minds and in our talk… We kinda love it. Try it once, it may work on you too.

Urban Safari Berlin

In the beautiful November days 22 and 23 Lower East – in cooperation with changels – were the hosts of the first Urban Safari Berlin.

We had a wonderful and intense 2day safari on bikes in the urban Berlin jungle – among many other places we visited co-working spaces as Wostel, The Wye & betahaus, and had a guided tour at the beautiful & charming Hüttenpalast (some of our guests stayed there in the caravans). A warm welcome at Gestalten – space, shop and publishing house. We checked out the inspiring Dennis Hopper – The Lost Album exhibition at Martin Gropius Bau and The Supalife Forever Show at Neurotitan.

There was time to watch films on topics as The Developing World and Creativity – and of course time to discuss, talk and share interesting stuff (mostly) within the areas of start up business, creativity, good ideas and inspiration.

Yes, you got it right! We didn’t forget to eat & drink. We visited good and cosy places such as Hüttenpalast, Markthalle Neun, N.O.R (Not Only Riesling) – and the group together created the most wonderful three course dinner under guidance of Camillo’s Paladar.

On the entire journey we were intensively followed by a group of penguins.

The Urban Safari Berlin #2 is planned to take place in April 2013.

Some links:
Hüttenpalast.
Neurotitan.
Betahaus.
Wostel.
N.O.R.
Markthalle Neun.
Gestalten.

And some pics from the Urban Safari:

Dennis Hopper “The Lost Album“

At Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin there is right now a very cool and very inspiring photo exhibition Dennis Hopper – The Lost Album. More than 400 photos taken by Hopper in the 1960’s. Originally exhibited in the US in 1969-70, and now for the first time in Europe. The photos all taken from Hopper was 25 until he turned 31. After that he never touched a camera again… And went on directing “easy Rider“.

“Dennis Hopper is interested in everything. Wherever he happens to be, whether in Los Angeles, New York, London, Mexico or Peru, he takes in his surroundings with empathy, enthusiasm and intense curiosity.“ (from the museums website).

Go there if you have the chance, a rare experience, and what a journey in time. The exhibition runs until December 19, 2012.

Martin Gropius Bau

Urban Safari Berlin

In the soon coming November days 22 and 23 Lower East are the hosts of a Urban Safari in Berlin.

We have two to three seats left, so if you are a quick mover, join us for this adventure. Maybe you can even get a reduced price 😉

Lower East – in co-opreation with changels – invite you on an intense 2day safari into this urban jungle with its many creative ­spaces, cool exhibition venues, cosy cafés & restaurants, sparkling start-ups, simply ­beautiful ­magazine- and bookshops and just amazing corners. We have put together an inspiring ­journey for you to get a powerful bouquet of the colorful start-up flower power of this city.

Lower East have moved their design company Copenhagen to Berlin one year ago and have been ­exploring the “arm, aber sexy“ city ever since. Matti Straub-Fischer, from ­changels, joined the two for a visit and insisted on creating an opportunity for others to this ­diverse mix of creativity, design and ­playfulness. So here we go:

• We will start on Thursday morning, November 22, 2012, at 10:00 at Wostels, a coworking space in Kreuzkölln/Berlin.
• We will be a group of 12-15 curious and interesting people like yourself.
• We will be safaring on bikes, and on foot, by U-Bahn and again on bikes – the most fun way to explore and stop and go again.
• We will have the most wonderful classroom and meeting space, where we can listen and discuss – and share inspiration and our inputs.
• We will be done by Friday afternoon, November 23, 2012 at 17:00. Here we finish up at a (start-up and) very cosy winebar NOR (not only riesling) in Kreuzberg with a glass of ­farewell wine.
• After the Urban Safari, you will receive a rich visual ­documentation on our days in Berlin.
• Together with Camillos Paladar, we will all put up a fantastic dinner on ­Thursday night. ­Camillos Paladar is a pop-up (mostly in Copenhagen, Berlin and Bern) ­restaurant with ­gorgeous food and remarkable wines. That alone is worth the ­journey.

Are you ready for this adventure with us?

Here is the small-printed stuff:

• You book your own flight or travels to Berlin.
• You book your own overnight stays. We ­suggest you some beautiful places like Hüttenpalast(next to the classroom), Casa Camper or IMA Lofts. We can get you in contact with some cool private flats as well.
• Your costs will be €730 (as a private or a one man/woman company) or €970 (if your ­company pays) for the two days journey in the urban jungle with food and drinks ­included for the time between Thursday, 10:00 to Friday, 17:00. Bike rentals, U-Bahn ­tickets, and the meeting and kitchen facilities are covered in this.
• Empty your head. Bring comfortable clothes and shoes, your notebook, some kind of a camera, some coloured pens, an umbrella (just in case) and your toothbrush.

And if you like, you can of course invite a dear friend or your partner to enjoy the rest of the weekend with you in this mind-boggling place.

Feel free to contact us for more info, or if you have any questions.

Helle Marietta  & Jørgen Smidstrup, lowereast.dk

Urban Safari Berlin

Berlin is a vibrant metropole, a melting pot of young entrepreneurs and fresh ­ideas, funky design and inspiring inviting atmospheres. A perfect spot to be diving into, make you smile, think of old and new ideas, wonder about how f*** crazy some ideas can be and simply enjoy the love for new, small and bigger beautiful things.

Lower East – in co-opreation with changels – invite you on an intense 2day safari into this urban jungle with its many creative ­spaces, cool exhibition venues, cosy cafés & restaurants, sparkling start-ups, simply ­beautiful ­magazine- and bookshops and just amazing corners. We have put together an inspiring ­journey for you to get a powerful bouquet of the colorful start-up flower power of this city.

Helle Marietta and Jørgen Smidstrup have moved their design company, ­Lower East, from Copenhagen to Berlin by the end of last year and have been ­exploring the “arm, aber sexy“ city ever since. This June, Matti Straub-Fischer, from ­changels, joined the two for a visit and insisted on creating an opportunity for others to this ­diverse mix of creativity, design and ­playfulness. So here we go:

• We will start on Thursday morning, November 22, 2012, at 10:00 at Wostels, a coworking space in Kreuzkölln/Berlin.
• We will be a group of 12-15 curious and interesting people like yourself.
• We will be safaring on bikes, and on foot, by U-Bahn and again on bikes – the most fun way to explore and stop and go again.
• We will have time to follow our noses, our instincts, enjoy the crème-de-la-crème of the Lower East and changels exploration so far in this town.
• We will have the most wonderful classroom and meeting space, where we can listen and discuss – and share inspiration and our inputs.
• We will have time to reflect, to talk, to draw, to sketch, to smoke, to poke, to laugh and to enjoy.
• We will be done by Friday afternoon, November 23, 2012 at 17:00. Here we finish up at a (start-up and) very cosy winebar NOR (not only riesling) in Kreuzberg with a glass of ­farewell wine.
• After the Urban Safari, you will receive a rich visual ­documentation on our days in Berlin.
• Matti, Helle and Jørgen will be your scouts, hosts and the facilitators for the Urban ­Safari.

Together with Camillos Paladar, we will all put up a fantastic dinner on ­Thursday night. ­Camillos Paladar is a pop-up (mostly in Copenhagen, Berlin and Bern) ­restaurant with ­gorgeous food and remarkable wines. That alone is worth the ­journey.

Are you ready for this adventure with us?

Here is the small-printed stuff:

• You sign up with an e-mail to us. ASAP – it is first come, first serve.
• You book your own flight or travels to Berlin.
• You book your own overnight stays. We ­suggest you some beautiful places like Hüttenpalast (next to the classroom), Casa Camper or IMA Lofts. We can get you in contact with some cool private flats as well.
• Your costs will be €730 (as a private or a one man/woman company) or €970 (if your ­company pays) for the two days journey in the urban jungle with food and drinks ­included for the time between Thursday, 10:00 to Friday, 17:00. Bike rentals, U-Bahn ­tickets, and the meeting and kitchen facilities are covered in this.
• Empty your head. Bring comfortable clothes and shoes, your notebook, some kind of a camera, some coloured pens, an umbrella (just in case) and your toothbrush.

And if you like, you can of course invite a dear friend or your partner to enjoy the rest of the weekend with you in this mind-boggling place.

Feel free to contact us for any questions.

Matti Straub-Fischer, changels.ch

Helle Marietta  & Jørgen Smidstrup, lowereast.dk