Psycho geography #4: Hauschka’s Dusseldorf

 
Commentary

All of us have a bit of a soft spot for our home town, even if some of us can be somewhat reluctant to admit it at times. Hauschka is certainly very proud to be a Dusseldorf native and he seems to know his home ground pretty well. Ahead of his performance at Union Chapel tomorrow night where you can catch his impressive prepared-piano performance, we asked him to tell us about some of his favourite spots in Dusseldorf;

Berger Kirche

This church is one of my favourite places in town. It is in the heart of the old town in Dusseldorf and it is hidden in a kind of backyard. The funny thing is that it seems like a very quiet place right in the shopping area and I like these kind of islands as they remind me that I need quietness and a place to calm down. The church was designed by Tobias Rehberger, a very well known artist and there is also a customised organ/sythesizer built by the musician Kurt Dahlke who is one of the founders of Atatak Records.

Kunsthalle

The Kunsthalle in Dusseldorf is a very nice place to hang out but also to follow their programme. I like actual places where you can go to and they don’t always have the safe exhibitions in terms of selling tickets. I have to say that I am very inspired by things that surprise me but that means as well that I am sometimes not attracted by certain programmes. A lot of things are done equally well all over the world and I am looking for cultural diversity. The Kunsthalle is part of that kind of view.

Grafenberger Wald

If you are interested in going into the forest, this city forest is very beautiful and old. It has a lot of surprising great places with a view all over Dusseldorf and at the same time it doesn’t seem to be inaccessible. Inside of the forest there is a park with wild animals that you can feed and I go there every now and then with my kids. I especially like the deer, they are very shy and at the same time very close. If I need space in my head, this is the place to go.

Sennhütte

This restaurant seemed in older times to be a kind of very run down pub and it looked more like a garden house. Now it is a very nice place to eat and sit outside but also in winter it is exactly like these little warm, cosy houses in the Alps where you drink hot red wine (Gluewein) or tea when you are skiing. The food is quite down to earth but very delicious and outside it has a little bit of a camping place.

Petra Rinck

This Gallerie lies in the center of the Flingern, which is one of the vibrant areas of Dusseldorf. Every three months there are exhibitions of great galleries in Flingern and in other parts of the city. On these weekends, people can walk through all the exhibitions and have a drink and talk to the artists. Petra Rinck gallery is located on Ackerstrasse and it always has very interesting small exhibitions. Recently they exhibited pieces by Thomas Schuette and I also saw a small exhibition of Anton Corbijns photos of famous musicians, which were awesome, but especially the unknown or not so popular artists that exhibit there are worth seeing.


See Hauschka on Thursday 25th September at Union Chapel with Luke Abbott, click here for tickets and more information.