Lower East

talks on creative placemaking

Back in September ’22 we had this amazing event: Nordic Talks on Creative Placemaking

Why are art & culture so integral to the development of thriving, attractive areas?

An afternoon in Berlin of art and discussion, where Creative Placemaking takes center stage. Two curated talks in which we explored the ups & downs of utilising both design and business in the development of urban areas that nurture creativity.

The talks took place in our Lower East Lab Berlin, a creative co-working space that accommodates community dinners, a design studio, and much more.

Featuring experts and innovators from C.F. Møller Architects, Henning Larsen, Hines Real Estate, Sigurd Larsen Design, OS Arkitekter, Ramboll, Bak, and more,

‘Nordic Talks on Creative Placemaking’ were presented by NordicLA in collaboration with VOLCANO, Lower East Lab and the Danish Embassy in Berlin.

Nordic Talks in the lower east lab, September 2022

Nordic Talks in the lower east lab, September 2022

Nordic Talks in the lower east lab, September 2022

Nordic Talks in the lower east lab, September 2022

And then a glass of wine…

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.

Food Photography Courses

Lower East, Malthe Ivarsson & Camillo’s Kitchen proudly present: Camillo’s Food Photography Courses!

4 intense days together with the team behind the cookbook from Camillo’s Kitchen; writer & chef Jørgen Smidstrup, designer & illustrator Helle Marietta and photographer Malthe Ivarsson.

The cookbook “Food, that makes people talk to each other”, that came out in September 2017 and again in a second print September 2018, has been a big success on the Danish market. The book is filled with recipes, stories and more than 175 photos – now the team behind the book wants to share the learnings from creating the book.

Get inspired, get playful, learn about lighting, camera techniques, tips and tricks – share your thoughts, ideas and dreams with us and the rest of team. Practice & create photos both in the studio and on location during the course.

We have planned three courses so far; April 25th-28th in Berlin, Germany, July 18th-21st in Tversted, Denmark and October 3rd-6th again in Berlin.

Come join four playful and creative days – sign up either for our studio/lab in Kreuzberg, Berlin or wonderful summerdays in Tversted by the North Sea coast in Denmark.

We imagine that you would love to improve your skills, boost your ideas, develop new “tasty” food photos – and extend your creative network. Maybe you are a food writer and blogger, or a photographer, a chef, a culinary professional – or simply just ready to take new steps into the world of delicious food photos.

The teaching will be in English (and in Danish if/when needed).

Bring your camera (most cameras will be sufficient for this workshop, the ability to manually control the cameras settings is however essential, the ability to photograph in any RAW-format is also preferable) and your laptop with a photo editing software (if you don’t have any editing software you can download the trial version of adobe lightroom, it’s free for one month).

 

The program

1. day
On the first day of the workshop we will start out with getting to know each other over a lovely breakfast and good coffee. We will present our cookbook and the work behind. The rest of the day will be spent getting a fundamental understanding of all the practical and technical aspects of camera and lighting techniques. The day will end with a small food photography assignment and will end with a dinner out in town.

2 & 3. day
The second and the third day will be more practical. We will start out both days with breakfast and a thorough, constructive critique on the photos you have created throughout the previous day(s). There will also be talks and discussions about; what makes a good food photography, how to get there and how we create atmosphere in our photos with storytelling, styling, props and colour. The rest of these two days will be filled with hands on food photography and assignments, both in groups and alone. The second day will end with a dinner in the Camillo studio, while the evening of the 3. day will be an evening off.

4. day
The fourth and final day of the workshop will be focusing on finalizing your work. On feedback and constructive tips and directions of your future photos. We will talk about digital editing and we will help you edit your best photos from the past three days. Finally, we will print the photos and make an exhibition in the studio – and celebrate with a final joyful dinner!

Prices and info
The price for the four days is DKK 8.500 (€ 1.150) per person.
Included in the price: the food, the breakfast, lunch and two of the dinners – and the three teachers. You take care of accommodation yourself.

We gladly help you with accommodation, in Berlin there are fine and cheap hostels, hotels and flats – and in Tversted there’s bed & breakfast, rooms and summer houses.

On our food photography courses there will be between 8 (minimum) and 12 (maximum) participants.

The locations
Lower East Lab Berlin, a design studio, popup restaurant, workshop space and the base of Camillo’s Kitchen – in a cosy backyard in the lively and very foodie Kreuzberg.
Tversted by the North Sea coast in Denmark, one of the most beautiful summer spots in the country up north. At an old school, now a lively cultural center.

Please feel free to sign up, and to write or call us for more information.
Jørgen Smidstrup camillo@camilloskitchen.com or +45 40636899

Hope to see you in April, July or October!
Helle, Malthe & Jørgen

Check out – and find the cookbook
camilloskitchen.com
lowereastlab.de

New exhibition in the lab

Lower East Lab are very happy and very proud to present the Berlin based Colombian artist Camilo Toro with “Set the hare into a fight, the birds are gonna fly away anyway“. Come and disappear in the universe of magic realism paintings. Opening November 16th 5pm-8pm. The artist will be present, and do guided tours in the exhibition. The exhibition will be on show until Christmas snow hits the streets of Berlin.

On Saturday November 17th we will do a dinner in the exhibition “Camillo’s Kitchen vs Camillo Toro“. Sign up at camillo@camilloskitchen.com

 

“Magical Realism is the name
Latin American literature got.
It’s about to make no sense,
to mix whatever and give it sense.

Latin America is about mixing,
about forgetting the roots
and making something out of it.

It’s about keeping your roots,
while you preach someone else’s god.
You may want to let the hare fight
otherwise the birds are gonna fly away anyway
and if they do,
you won’t be able to set the fight.

It’s about speaking indirectly
this isn’t your language anyway,
you may want to sing,
it will make no sense anyway,
so keep your shoes tight
you may need to run.
don’t forget the ornaments,
they may keep you safe
from human eyes.”

Find the event on Facebook

 

 

lower east explore

These days we are doing an Urban Safari in Berlin with students from the KaosPilots in Switzerland. They are here to get inspired, to develop new (business) ideas, to meet people, to explore Berlin, and to be together with their class mates. We arrange and facilitate parts of their week-long journey in the streets of Berlin.

Right now in this minute they are working in the Lower East Lab on, what if I can start my dream business here in Berlin; what would it be, who would be involved, and who would be my clients.

Here is a few impressions from the days – more to come.

 

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.

 

Experienceship

A few new glimpses of the days of Startup Experienceship, this summers cooperation between british Corkscrew, Startup Guide Berlin and Lower East Lab.

The participants from the US, Mexico and Russia, will during their four week summer school here in the lab develop key professional skills and create a startup concept.

They are planning some very cool business ideas – and developing some cool concepts. We are looking forward to see them fly – all of it will be presented on the pitch-night Thursday 4th August, you are very welcome to join!

 

Summer – time to work

Our summer school is open, 4 weeks startup training in the Lower East Lab.

A few impressions from the first weeks of Startup Experienceship, a cooperation between british Corkscrew, Startup Guide Berlin and Lower East Lab. The participants from all over the world, will during their training develop key professional skills and create and develop a startup concept.

A lot of good work, funky ideas and joyful conversations are going on in the lab. Stay tuned for more info from the days.

The lower east lab tote bag

We have created a Lower East Lab tote bag. We have for some time wanted to have our ‘own’ bag, now it’s here and we are happy with it. So happy we even want to sell it. If you want to be the happy owner of one of these already popular bags, let us know. For only 12 € it can be yours.

The tote bags are produced by Rebel Unlit in Berlin, who print good stuff; posters, t-shirts, bags and a lot more.

 

Start Up Guide

Photographer Cristopher Santos came by the Lower East Lab to take pictures of the wonderful Sissel Hansen, while she was co-working in the lab. Sissel is the founder of the Start Up Guide Berlin – the photos will appear in the magazine sisterMAG, together with a portrait of Sissel and of the Start Up Guide.

A mastery training program

Would you like to start your own business in a sustainable and inspiring way? Do you want to make a difference in your own life? Then New Business #2 could be your next step!

New Business is a mastery training program of 9 x 3 days over a year. The training is offered by changels and lower east – and done in collaboration with the KaosPilots Switzerland. Main trainers are Matti Straub-Fischer (head of changels and KaosPilots Switzerland) and Jørgen Smidstrup (communication designer and project maker in Lower East and Lower East Lab).

The full programme starts April 6th 2016 in Bern, Switzerland (8 modules in Bern and one in Berlin).

Some fine statements from participants on New Business #1 2014-2015:

“The NEW BUSINESS is a great space for me to get new tools, perspectives, and ideas, to profit from others, from the trainers, my classmates and the KaosPilots − and hopefully vice versa. And it is really a great space, making possible new experiences and motivating me to do, to try, to fail, to exercise and to succeed”. Thom Buchmüller.

“The open atmosphere and active exchange with the other NEW BUSINESS members, the teachers and the Kaos-Pilots have created a space for me, which has enabled me to bring my passions and dreams on a paper and create a first project out of it“. Karin Ehrler.

“when changels offered the NEW BUSINESS mastery training, this was the perfect option for me. I love the inspiring spirit, the great team and the demanding learning challenges − here I have to leave my comfort zone”. Claudio Pacozzi.

“I have fundamentally changed my perspective on what it means to create and run a successful business. NEW BUSINESS has offered me an alternative viewpoint to common beliefs about “serious business” that I had deeply internalised. The program has taught me to take my passions, potentials and dreams rather than limits and imagined deficits as my references. Our personal interchange in the group strongly supports me on my way and creates valuable new relationships”. Fabian Leuthold.

Reach out if you want to know more, and want to join the program.
Find more info on the new business blog and on the changels website.

 

 

Looking at Berlin

The Lower East contribution to the book Startup Guide Berlin, Volume 2, 2016; an intro to Berlin, the startup scene and some of the good and innovative places in the city.

Here’s the text in its full length – you can find the fine book in good stores in the city, and of course in the Lower East Lab in Kreuzberg. Check the Startup Guide website for locations. Link at the end of this article.

Looking at Berlin

Walking the streets of Berlin – which we very often do – we see a lot going on. Stuff happens on almost every corner, in every hinterhof, first, second or third. We love living in the big B! We are still getting inspired from the walks and talks in the city. Love the city for the size it has, love it for the creativity that sprinkles down from the big startup cloud, love it for the diversity, the different colors, sizes, ages and intentions of the inhabitants. Love Berlin for what it does to us in our minds – having left the safe zone in Copenhagen, to the (tiny, little bit more) risky grounds here. A new place for us to live, operate and create from.

At every walk, every little tour in Berlin, we are tempted to enter many doors, visit new places, new companies, small and big – want to drop by, to step in, to ask questions and share stories, about business and about life.

So what do we see while strollin’ around in the many cobblestoned streets of Berlin?

Starting up. Of course we see a lot of startups. Every week, new creative shops, projects, companies and businesses pop up, like dandelions that shoot up out of the pavement; it seems like nothing can keep them down. These years very much so in Neükölln and Kreuzberg, but that can change and shift at any moment (or month), and can extend to other damn fine parts of the city. Then cool stuff suddenly happens in Wedding or Schöneberg – or Moabit and Mitte (again). You can walk the streets to see and follow it yourself, or you can read the countless numbers of blogs, or follow the trends and tendencies on Facebook.

Teaming up. One very fine thing these years is the ‘habit of’ starting up with very interesting teams. We are skipping the lonely wolf period. People, once at the helm of new projects and new businesses, team up with others that may have the same ambition, may have the same hunger for doing good business – but not necessarily having the exact same skills, not coming from the same background and place.

Internationalization. Another wonderful thing about these new teams is that people find each other ‘in mysterious ways’: creative and skilled Germans (Berliners) are teaming up with creative and skilled people flocking to Berlin. Bakers from Italy, butchers from Poland, artists from Mexico, communication talents from Austria, baristas from Australia, actors from Spain, DJs from England, nerds from the US, even project makers from Denmark… Looks like there is an openness to explore what diversity can bring to the team. Seems like there is an invitation from the local Berliner to join the force, that the Berliners fancy the cooperation, have extra space in the team, and are just waiting for the right dude (men and women) to show up, maybe with that good idea, maybe with the necessary skills, or with the missing link in his or her hand. Wonderful!

Good advice. Remember once in a while to climb a mountain (you can always use the Kreuzberg hill in Viktoriapark). Get up there, get some overview, get some fresh air, clear your mind. Maybe your idea, your business can become better? What did you forget to think of, who did you forget to include? What can be improved? Never just lean back in self-satisfaction, do not only celebrate your achievements – be humble, be open for the new, evolve, create, integrate. Set a good example and do your stuff even better, in an even more creative way.

Work hard. Walk the extra mile. Startups really work hard, many hours, many days per week in this city. For these first 1, 2 or 3 years it takes a lot from you. We meet people standing at market after market with their new and fantastic bread, with their smoked meat, with their very special kimchi; we see architects and designers working late in the evening and early in the morning. And we see the beautiful smiles on the faces of the startups, when they have succeeded, when they have achieved their first milestone and when they are able to write their first invoice.

What’s the next thing? The city has been ‘overwhelmed’ with coffee bars the recent years, and thank you for that, all you brave baristas! You needed that, Berlin! Ten years ago it was a hard job finding a decent cup of coffee. But what will the next “coffee-thing“ be? What is that new finding, that new wave in Berlin, that which is just obvious, somehow necessary – and at the same time simple to execute, not so hard to finance and easy to integrate? Will it be small (or big) places for quiet, popping up everywhere like walk-in meditation rooms? Or will it be new locations for having good talks in a new way, with all kinds of people, all kinds of nationalities? Or will it again be new places to eat or to drink – and drink what? We are looking forward to seeing what emerges, while still enjoying our damn good cup of espresso or flat white (for us it is still the good old fashioned italian way of roasting, no third wave here).

New way? The city is happily loaded with a lot of fine co-working spaces. Check them out if you want a place to work from, to start as soon as you arrive in Berlin, or when arriving to the point of no return; it’s now I want to begin my own journey as a startup. Also keep an eye out if there is a new version of how-to-work and where-to-work coming up. Can the co-working scene evolve into an improved form? How can the good from the open co-working environment be combined with the good from working in an intense, disciplined and perhaps silent setting? And how can you find the exact combination that just suits you (and your team).

Ask questions. Be curious. Be interested. There are tons of good stories out there, on the streets of Berlin. Stories about what drives people, for what reasons have they started up their businesses, why here, together with whom? Is it a family business, is it created together with good old friends, or did they meet their (future) business partner in a train, or at a bar – or at a co-working space in Berlin? Ask questions and listen to the answers: they might inspire you in many ways, on how to start and form your new business.

Keep on sharing. And when you are in business, remember to give something back to the big universe of stories, knowledge and experiences. Keep it open, both during successful and problematic periods. Share your gained lessons, big or small, good or bad. Through the shared stories we can support and improve our common businesses. Share them with newcomers and welcome people who visit the city – Berlin can be a very inspiring place for those seeking souls.

Spread the word. We see a lot of good and creative communication here in Berlin. Startups using all the new (social) media platforms in a lively, very strong, visual way, with easy-going, often witty texts and intros – combined with the good ol’ printed stuff, like postcards, flyers and posters, designed with passion and talent in a playful way. We also see a ‘domino effect’ happening here: when people succeed with their first thing in their new business, with their first move, suddenly the next invention and the next thing comes out way easier, like a totally natural thing. It’s very inspiring to look for examples of where one idea nourishes the next.

Anything we missed on our tour de Berlin? Please walk the streets and look for yourself, find your own path in this lively city!

Inspiring spots. When writing this, a lot of fine examples of creative, lively, inspiring and often international businesses and projects crossed our minds. Here is a selection; check them out (and add more to your own list):

In Kreuzberg we of course love the foodmarket Markthalle 9, like thousands of other Berliners and Berlin visitors do. Many of the inhabitants from the Markthalle do really good and interesting businesses, like Big Stuff Smoked BBQ (a BBQ joint with a founding duo from Germany (Tobias Bürger) and Italy (Anna Lai) and an imported barbeque smoker from Tennessee); Kantine Neun and Café 9; Sironi (with Alfredo Sironi, the baker from Milano, Italy); 100pct (delicious olive oil from Greece); Salumeria del Sud (“Feinkost & Wein“ from South Italia with Eugenio Finzi from Puglia in Italy behind the desk) and the new kid in class, Kumpel & Keule (a ‘Metzgerei’ founded by butcher Jörg Förstera and communication designer Hendrik Haase).

In Neukölln you will find the wonderful collective Agora, with co-work, art, food and a lot more, run by an international team. Back in Kreuzberg you can co-work, learn, talk and have a coffee at Betahaus. All over the city you find other creative and good co-working spaces. In Mitte/Prenzlauer Berg, you’ll find the fascinating Platoon Cultural Development. In Mitte/Kreuzberg, below Checkpoint Charlie, you find the cool and very cozy coffee & media shop Westberlin. Back in Neukölln you’ll find the restaurant (and talk of the town) Industry Standard, with its wonderfully international crew. Another talk of the town is Fräulein Kimchi (Korean-American soul food) in Prenzlauer Berg. And back in Kreuzberg you can meet us at our local coffee joint Kiezeklein.

If you are into music, drop by the jazz clubs B-flat (in Mitte) or A-trane (in Charlottenburg). One of our very favorites is Restaurante Maselli in Kreuzberg (chef and owner: Gerado Maselli from Puglia, Italy), we also enjoy dropping by Salumeria Lamuri in Kreuzberg for a delicious coffee, a tasty lunch and a little chat with Lucca Barbieri (of course also from Italy), as well as restaurants Sippi Osteria (Neukölln) and I Golosi Briganti (Kreuzberg).

We would never survive in Berlin without all the italian; it seems like they add spice and flavours, the garlic, the basil, the extra virgin olive oil to the city. They add the good talks, about love, family, relationships and quality of life, they help completing the picture, with warmth and hospitality, with the good food, from Puglia, from Sicily, from Tuscany, from Emilia Romagna or whatever proud region in Italy they have ‘escaped’ from to do some good, warm-hearted work here in Berlin.

We also get inspired by the amazing rooftop Klunkerkranich in Neukölln, the urban garden Prinzessinnengarten in Kreuzberg, and Kühlhaus Berlin (art & event space). In Friedrichshain we enjoy Tres Cabezas (coffee roastery and -bar), Mother Drucker (silk screen printing by the Londoner Dolly Demoratti) and Neue Heimat (which have sadly closed down).

With great pleasure, we have often used Hüttenpalast (hotel with caravans!) for guests coming to Berlin. In Prenzlauer Berg we visit Supalife (a ‘kiosk’ with high quality silk screen printing) and Muse/Thyme Supperclub (restaurant and pop-up dinners run by the British/German couple Caroline Grinsted and Tobias Zeller).

We keep an eye on Buchstabenmuseum (they will hopefully soon re-open), Refugees on Rails (Refugee Coding School), the art organization Node Center, the bookstore Motto in Kreuzberg, Cee Cee (books and lively newsletter), do you read me?! (lovely magazine store in Mitte) – and maybe we will finish the day with a glass of wine at “not only riesling” in Kreuzberg.

Enjoy your Berlin!


Helle Marietta Pedersen and Jørgen Smidstrup are running the design & communication company Lower East, with clients and projects in Berlin, Switzerland and Denmark. They have established their Lower East Lab in Kreuzberg, a lab for creative learning, workshops, meetings, talks, events, dinners and co-work. They are also the creators of the pop up kitchen: Camillo’s Cafeteria and Camillo’s Paladar.

Startup Guide website

Keep the wheels turning. © photo: Lower East

Startup guide Berlin

Lower East were asked to write an intro to the Startup Guide Berlin, Volume 2. We happily did that, and used the chance to write about inspiration, about starting up, teaming up and internationalization. Gave some good advices, and where to seek them. Wondering about what’s the next big thing in the startup world in Berlin, and encouraging the readers of the guide to keep an eye on if there is a new version of how-to-work and where-to-work coming up. How can the good from the open co-working environment be combined with the good from working very intense, very disciplined and maybe in silence? We wrote also about sharing, asking questions and of course about how to communicate your new business, how to spread the word.

You can find the book at good places all over Berlin, you can even come by the Lower East Lab to buy your copy – check out locations at the startup guide website.

what’s new 2015-2016

Fresh from the printers. what’s new? newspaper from the Innovationsdorf Bern, KaosPilots Switzerland, changels & friends. Designed by Lower East.

24 pages, #3 – first issue in December 2014, second one February 2015, and now we have reached #3.

You can get the paper issue at the Innovationsdorf and at the KaosPilots Switzerland in Bern. And as soon as we get a stack of the newspapers to the Lower East Lab in Berlin, you can come by to grab your sample.

Until then – here we show some of the pages from the newspaper, and you can check out what’s new on this link.

 

 

A quiet day in the lab

Impressions from a quiet saturday in the lower east lab – we just love our berlin lab!
It serves really, really well as design studio, creative learning space, co-working space, home for Camillo’s Cafeteria and Camillo’s Paladar, workshop room, class room for our urban safari’s – and meeting space for a lot of inspiring people. Thanks for divine intervention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s going on in the lab?

What’s going on in the Lower East Lab? These mid of July days are somehow calm. We are still working on 3-4 graphic design projects and trying to finish stuff by the end of the week – and we are getting closer and closer to a long-awaited holiday break.

We are really, really happy with our lab here in Berlin! The last 2-3 months we have had so many sweet, cool, funny, talented, interesting and interested people in the lab, for many different reasons and purposes. Thanks for that!

Just to mention some of the arrangements and events that has happened in the Lower East Lab:
• in May we had 15 architects from the Danish company, Mejeriet, on an Urban Safari – cruising Berlin on bikes with us, getting inspired and checking out “transformations“ in this wonderful city. The group of architects finished the evening, co-creating with us a delicious dinner, Camillo’s Paladar, in the lab.
• also in May we arranged a day-long Food Safari, for a group of (around 20) students, studying global nutrition and health at the Copenhagen-based school Metropol. After a introduction in the lab, we met with people, checked out new and inspiring food projects, visited food markets and tested delicious stuff ’unterwegs’. All day on bikes, daring to end the day with a tasting of german white wines…
• later in May we had an even larger group in the lab, attending Hack the City to discuss THE FUTURE OF WORK. The workshop was arranged by the Swedish city of Sundbyberg and was facilitated by the Stockholm-and-Malmö based innovation company Shuhuu.
• we have our monthly dinner in the lab; Camillo’s Cafeteria, where up to 20 people from the Berlin ’international scene’ show up, meet, talk, eat and drink a glass of wine (or two). We will be back with the cafeterias from August on. We also held three successful Camillo’s Chef’s Table, private dinnners in the lab during the spring.
• we managed to include a gastro teambuilding in the program; a group of 9 leaders from a pension fund showed up in the lab and under guidance from Chef Camillo, the group created a three course lunch dinner with three house favorites; potato-rosemary pizza, white asparagus and a asparagus-leeks-parmesan risotto. The process and teambuilding went very well. The food was delicious and the atmosphere fantastic.
• in June, a group of KaosPilot students from Switzerland joined our two day Urban Safari Berlin. On bikes, we checked out the inspiring start-up scene in the city, met and talked with creative and lively people. During the safari days the lab worked as a ’class room’ for sharing and reflecting. The safari turned out as planned and was very succesful. We are really happy with our urban safari concept!
• besides all this, we have managed to do a lot of good work during spring with our main ’thing’; the graphic design and communication. With great help from two trainees, Casper from Denmark and Amanda from Sweden, we, among other things, designed a book for Glasmuseum Ebeltoft, a brand new website for another art client – Hempel Glasmuseum, a visual identity for a swiss consultant, a series of posters for the KaosPilots Switzerland, a new website for a Berlin client – a big old factory which has developed into a cultural art and event space, one for a Swiss client and right now deeply in the design process with a new book for a Danish client, the book will come out this autumn.

Have a fantastic summer out there!

Impressions from the lab life:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A beautiful bike

Diamonds are blue.
The German bike company Diamant created their first bike in 1895. This blue beauty, probably from the late eighties, we found in Kreuzberg, Berlin. It had a short and good life in Lower East Lab (also as a photo model) before if continued it’s travel to happy new owners in Denmark.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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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).

New Business in Lower East Lab

Last week we had a three day NEW BUSINESS WORKSHOP here in the Lower East Lab. The 6th module of NEW BUSINESS, a one year further training (9 modules of three days each) for people who want to grow their project ideas into sustainable and inspiring businesses – a mastery program for passionate entrepreneurs with existing and new projects and business dreams.

This 6th module we placed here in Berlin. The training normally takes place in the Innovations Dorf in Bern (the home and house of the Kaos­Pilots Switzerland, changels, New Business and many other ­projects and companies).

The focus of our module 6 is on interrelatedness and timing. This means a focus on:
• How is my business idea connected to other cycles right now?
• What else is going on around me… in nature, in the environment, in society, in groups and companies…?
• And how can we use these cycles for best possible timing of our own dreams and actions?

This module is also about becoming aware of trends and tendencies, so we can use them for our own business design.
• What are others doing?
• How can we be inspired by that for our own actions?

The fine group of people attending NEW BUSINESS, showed up in Berlin with their expectations high up – and we had three fantastic days!

We did our very best, used all the good stuff from the Lower East toolbox to put together some good and inspiring days. Used our experiences from counseling, teaching, working with communication and design, adding splashes of Urban Safari Berlin, adding food, recipes and spices from the Camillo’s Kitchen – supplying with the warmth and calmness the lab can also offer.

If you are curious to know more about the mastery program (a new programme will start May 2015 (intro) / September 2015 (first module)) please follow this link to the changels website and find all the info put together in one pdf, or (always first with the good news of course!) the lower east blog here.

The NEW BUSINESS blog is also up and running, still in its very beginning…

You are also very welcome to attend the open door event in the Innovations Dorf in Bern on March 13th, where the New Business has it’s own window. More info on that here.

Enough of links and words!
Impressions from the days in Berlin by Adrian Zimmermann, one of the participants in New Business.

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