Last Friday we went up to Mitte to see about a little Barber-shop turned Pop-up shop on Almstadtstraße 48. New Tendency, a Berlin-based design studio, had converted the small, but practical space into a curated, yet approachable showroom. Though unassuming from the outside, it looked like any other clean white cube gallery, we were soon hit by a series of symbiotic clusters of practical and geometric designs, ranging from furniture (Meta Side Table, X Chair, Shift Shelf, December Standard Lamp, Cake Table), jewellery and a collection of books and magazines (The Germans, Pin- up, Art Aurea, Das Bauhaus), which seemed to be their reference guides.
The unity between the different articles and their display was evident — the selection had been made to show off the particularity of each of the pieces and their individual aura. Proof that the work can be put in a showroom space and stand on it’s own. Most importantly, it can also be a part of something greater, like your house. The clerk for the day, who is also in charge of their PR and management, was sweet and full of advice (a rarity in galleries) concerning everything from the process behind the designs to the idea behind the ephemeral shop.
Pop-up shops have been a fad in this city for the last few years, if not more. Being a smart solution to showcasing work at a fixed address for a set amount of time, without all the paperwork (any one say “Schufa”… ) and the permanent engagement it takes to own/rent a physical space. All in all, pop-up shops can be a great initiative to instigate positive change in various neighborhoods, broaden your scope, and put on a variety of different events — leaving your mark — and the people wanting more. Which was true in this case especially!!
New Tendency have a storefront-studio space in Neukölln at Weichselstraße 22, 12045 Berlin