Tresor. Berlin Berlin Tresor. Catalogue

Tresor. Berlin

Berlin Tresor.

How Techno became the soundtrack to the reunification & regeneration of Berlin as a cultural symbol.

‘The walls were very thick and the energy in there multiplied. That’s why the ceiling was dripping. That’s the way it had to be.’

Tresor’s famous underground dancefloor, which hosted millions until the club’s original premises closed in 2005, saw many things. It saw the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall, when creatives flooded into East Berlin to squat, set up galleries and host clubs. It saw the explosion of techno in Europe, with the arrival of a new wave of DJs from Detroit attracted to Tresor’s aggressive aesthetic and sound system. It saw an “anything goes” door policy which helped cause clashes with the police. And it saw closure, and reinvention, in a new building.

Tresor was born just after the fall of the Berlin wall bringing east and west youth together to the soundtrack of the minimal electronics sound from Detroit.

The exhibition will include archival material from Tresor archive, memories from ordinary punters that attended the club, film, and documentaries, as well as a special screening of SUB BERLIN a new documentary by Tilmann Kunzel with a Q& session with a specially selected panel.

The exhibition will also try to look into the impact that the club has had into the regeneration and re-branding of this new Berlin.

The archive was put together by Dimitri Heggeman private archive and Tresor Club archives, exhibited first in June 2012.

The life and sound of a generation began in the forgotten city spaces of places like Berlin, Detroit, London, Milan, Madrid, Tokyo and beyond.

Spaces dedicated to inclusivity, community, and freedom of expression.

The social experiments that continue to take place in these spaces underpin the complex fabric of urban life; deeply embedded in politics, art and philosophy, they represent the breathing essence of these subcultures.

Amidst the smoke and lights, the late nights and the roar of a soundsystem, memories were had, and lives were lived. CLUB CULTURE tells these untold stories in raw, vivid detail, a special opportunity to dive into one of the most fascinating cultural movements to have existed.

Club Culture and ourhistory archive: CLUB CULTURE celebrates and documents the unity of diverse communities and cultures within a European context. Sharing material from the ourhistory archives, the exhibition is curated by Ernesto Leal with a specific focus on the History of British Dance Culture. Today in 2019, Britain is at a cultural and political crossroads, and the rift between sentiments grows wider. Within UK dance culture many are working and building on projects, exhibitions, and events that are founded on an out-dated, elitist and insular narrative.

CLUB CULTURE arrives as a statement made in opposition to the current all-pervasive view that is both ignorant and cynical towards the ethics, diversity and richness of collective histories – marginalised cultures that could not exist without the European collective conscience. This exhibition is about sharing those rich histories which have been ignored or forgotten and establishing this subculture as collective, inclusive force.

Throughout its history club culture has operated on the fringes of society.

It re-interprets the dialogue and history generated by those nomadic micro-communities that exist purely out of difference and resistance to the mainstream perspective. From punk, to rave, subcultures remain at the forefront of collective social evolution, embraced for their subversive tendencies. The fact that subcultures form the basis, if not the source, of our wider culture and society at large has not escaped observers and critics alike.

The exhibitions: Each archive in the exhibition brings you to a unique point in time and place to explore some of the movements that spread across the continent in the past 30 years. Step back into late 1970s Spain, for example. As Franco’s dictatorship dissolved, a new countercultural movement exploded out of Madrid. Whilst La Movida, (a hedonistic, cross-disciplinary movement) became responsible for Spain’s burgeoning arts scene, they directly influenced the hippie-led creative communities operating on the island of Ibiza. Their stories would soon be told. A vibrant and unique sound was emanating from the White Isle, congealing influences from US funk and disco, Latin, Italo and local influences.

It bears remembering that what was so tragically coined and repossessed by the British as ‘Balearic Beat’ was, in fact, the music of La Movida.

Balearic was never “found”, despite whatever ‘explorers’ may protest, and the myth of its discovery underpins the importance of Leal’s work in dismantling these histories, emancipating them and stripping them down for the people that originally forged them.

Whether through the lens of iconic photographers: Ouka Lee and Miguel Trillo which captured “la Movida” or curators KIWA and Terje Toomitsu documenting the parallel world of Estonian hippies, or Chris Low’s DIY ethic and rebel attitude in photographing Tokyo’s Punk scenes, Leal presents an alternative narrative or use of forms to depict how, under the influence of sexual liberation, drugs, alcohol, music, politics and literature, these disparate entities homogenised the thoughts and dreams of the few, into a powerful and subversive sub-text to the mainstream media.

Each show seeks to highlight the personal memories and epic journeys that are born out of these subcultures, and celebrates the echo of these cities that can be heard throughout the world.

The club culture archives seek to give a platform to the people and communities that continue to shape our world and address the issue of cultural sanitisation that is ubiquitous in subculture history of late. Our projects provide a space for a meaningful dialogue and continue to highlight the cultural, social, and political significance of these movements and their relation to each other.

Red Gallery would like to thank the following people for all their help in making the Tresor Berlin Exhibition in London: Stuart Waplington & team @ Print Space, Anja.Seugling and Team @ Visit Berlin, Charlotte Michelle 11th, Daniel Miller, Dimitri Hegemann, Chris Noelle, Ernesto Leal, Felix Denk, Greg Kontratone, Giuseppe Percuoco, James Gogh & team @ Stirling Ackroyd, Johnie Stieler, Juan Leal, Kirsty Allison, Marcelus, Mark Reeder, Matt @ Alchemy PR, Mike Huckaby, Rob Sharp, Paulo Reachi, Red Pig Flower, Rogan Jeans, Sven von ThĂźlen, David Brown (Swayzak), Yarda Lamjarring, Kedge @ Tomato, Matthias Hamm, Henrik Vering, Simon Weston, Richard Whittam.

The only certainty is the experience.

Art direction by Ernesto Leal Design by Jason Kedgley Printed by Nick Winter and Caroline O’Connor at KTP Printers