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Caffenol is a black & white negative developer made from instant coffee, washing soda and vitamin c.
Old Kodachrome color super 8 film reacts nicely and the result is as you see it here: an orange toned b&w negative!
Yippeeh!!

I met John Porter, Toronto’s most famous super 8 filmer, we bought some yummy burritos at Kensington Market („Big Fat Burrito“) and opened the baseball season at Christie Pits (famous for its riots 80 years ago), beautiful green open park, Toronto Maple Leafs against Ottawa Fat Cats. We won!

My first baseball game! Haven’t got a clue why guys were standing at different posts doing nothing while the boy in the middle kept bombing tiny balls towards another one who constantly missed it with his bat …. but it was fun to watch and John brought ice cold cider 😉

….. Summer!!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

How did this silly film idea come upon me … I want to make a short film, Kodachrome K40, and then process it in caffenol, see if it works … about Toronto and coffee of course, something speedy, most probably called „Toronto, I like you as much as I like coffee“ using letters that I find around here … so I thought it would be nice to start it with a countdown, spent half my day chasing numbers from 10 down to 0 which is not easy because numbers tend to come in company: they have another number left or right, especially a 4 was veeeery hard to find …

But anyway, the sun was shining brightly, summer has come into town, butterflies land on my legs!!

Who is it? The famous Canadian Red Belly Bird?

Seen and admired at High Park today! Lucky me, I live in walking distance!

Me in Toronto … having plenty of time wandering Eastwest and Northsouth and zigzagish, inhaling fresh impressions and finding pictures at every corner and … look there: a snake sign on the ground! It’s a metaphor for me, meaning …. wisdom and a winding path to go!!

Good morning, Lake O and Canada and America, how are you?

I’m in Canadaaaaaa!!!!!!!
The first living being that greeted me this morning was …. a squirrel! But not only a squirrel … a black squirrel! They have black squirrels in Toronto, awesome!!!!!

I’m so lucky to live in the chubbiest chaparriest coolest hottest center of the universe, just by chance, and here’s the hottest tiniest Mex ever, called Chaparro Cocina Mexicana … in Kreuzberg, burrito and quesadilla to stay or to go, with different hot sauces (1, 2, 3 chili signs declaring the power of hotness!) and some plusses like smoky chicken or veggie … take a beer from the fridge, dos equis xx or corona or victoria … just love them!!!

Travelers meeting: Dagie going to Toronto, Florian going to New York and Mexico, Khani coming from the Canaries, Nadine going to Italy … felt windy and worldy!!

Not quite correct … but so funny … two weird, probably Turkish names Umut and Armut, which come close to Unmut and Armut, Chagrin and Poverty, two conditions which you’d rather avoid …

I saw that pattern on the ground and I had a hallucination, audio and video, of that Danish or Swedish muppet chef, waving some utensils while singing his signature song like wikipedia says „for example, „Aweenda shmure da froog’s legs.“ These hints are necessary as he frequently uses unorthodox culinary equipment (firearms, sports equipment, hand tools, etc.) to prepare his dishes.“
In German it was Smörrebröd Smörrebröd römpömpömpöm 😉

I heard about caffenol some time ago … a developer soup made from coffee, vitamin c and washing soda! For black & white negative processing, film as well as paper.

Tonight was my night!
I bathed a double super 8 test stripe (Fomapan R) in a smelly brownish soup for 15 minutes (then regular fixing) and what came out?
A fully developed warm black tone quite dense negative! Hoooray!
Developer to drink, developer to go, developer to flush in the toilet, no more chemicals any more (except fix, but maaayyybeeee there’s a chance with salt, I’m following a forum discussion about that subject and I guess I must check it out …)

Here’s a lovely caffenol blog and here another one!

Hooo, that dog made weird noises like a breathing hoover in slow motion!

A couple of nights ago. Busy movements in the sky, venus closer than ever bringing love to a bunch of people!

Photo © Jochen

Walking home from the bus after work tonight I stared up in the sky and realized: my little neighbour tree has grown flower buds! Yes! Spring has finally arrived in Berlin!

Nothing beats this feeling: riding the road and arriving home in my city.

Remembering: more than two decades ago homecoming was like this: passing through lightless grey East Germany (me Westy / Wessi) feeling like a decadent spy, being extremely polite to the border officers who at the slightest grin checked your car for hours … and then … lights at the horizon … civilization … yeah … embrace shiny capitalism cool stinky Westberlin! Yes! I love my home city!

Recently I was invited to give a 3 day workshop on super 8 and wabisabi inspired easy film making plus hand processing in Dresden! The place is called Werk.Stadt.Laden. (something like city working station atelier), a self made artist run alternative hipiesque sweet place which I can absolutely recommand (they also offer knitting meetings, silkscreen not only for children, guerilla gardening, edit a neighborhood magazine and lots more inspiring stuff …).

3 days, 13 people, half my age (ohmygod) but what the fuck, there’s no big difference: passion and enthusiasm and joy for experimental filming know no age, ha!

(We used Kodak’s TriX material and developed it in Adonal. What came out was black and white negative film. Extremely beautiful and a wide range of greys! Having it digitized these days and reversed to positive. Link to films: later! Or check out my wabisabi workshob website! But I’m a bit behind schedule ….)

This morning at Ankerklause having breakfast with my Swiss friends, yummy coffee and awakening Champagne … watching busy birds outside.

Oh how I long for spring!

Ein kleiner Einer!

A little reminder for all who live in or close to Dresden:I’m giving a wabisabi worksop in Dresden @ Schmalfilmtage / Small Format Film Festival Friday and Saturday January 27 and 28!

It’s all about the magic of Super 8 and colour negative processing and it’s limited to 7 persons – only 3 signed in until today …. more info here!
And here in German; here in english!

… speak for themselves!!!

Here’s the text again …

We were told (thank you Dayna!) there‘s a secret magic hidden cantina in the heart of Kreuzberg in a street where nobody goes – Lobeckstrasse, close to the Prinzenbad, not far from tourist overcrowded Oranienstrasse.

We found the yummiest tacos in town! Hot and medium! Go perfect with Astra beer and good white wine!

In winter from Wednesday to Friday only, 6 pm to midnight in der Kantine vom Aqua Carré, Lobeckstr. 30 – 35, 2. Hof, Aufgang B, hard to find.
In spring and summer they have a taco stand in a van outside in the parking lot, same address!

www.vatos-tacos.com + www.facebook.com/vatostacosforever

Put me in your restaurant!

Click here for a funky New Year film 😉

Heehee, I noticed they sell marijuana folders at my local post office!