![]() New clubs started up, old clubs died down, and it was all about forgetting where you were forgetting about time. I was more interested in the fact that we were finally able to party. The tattoos are like a diary and each one has a meaning.Īfter the reunification, the first thing I did when I walked out was put my camera down. I got my first tattoo – a cross – in a house full of squatters. I wanted to get tattoos in the ’80s but it was illegal in the GDR. I thought, “Why go anywhere else if you’re the same person wherever you are?” I had the opportunity to go to France but I didn’t. ![]() Before that, they were not allowed to leave the GDR. In fact they talked about nothing else in those days. ![]() The same happened to my circle which got smaller and smaller. Loads of actors, artists and even whole theatre ensembles were suddenly not there anymore. It was a very strange time because many people were fleeing the GDR. In 1988 to 1989, shortly before the wall fell, my friends left the German Democratic Republic (GDR). ON LIFE BEFORE AND AFTER THE GERMAN REUNIFICATION They’re all arranged and taken in daylight without studio lighting. My pictures are never taken in a club or during a club night. I don’t see myself as a club photographer. I’m not interested in taking pictures in clubs. Whether they bring their own clothes, and talk about hair and makeup, I’m quite happy for those DJs to bring in their own concepts. Usually, a musician or a DJ I don’t know yet will meet me in a café in Berlin and we’ll talk about what they want these photos to look like. Berghain also has a record label called Ostgut Ton and most of the press photos of the artists are taken by me, and some have requested that I take the photos in colour. But I’ve also done photography for DJs for their publicity materials. In the ’80s, I was mainly taking photos of my friends and colleagues, using black and white as a medium for a dramatic effect. That has always been the aim of these photos. The important thing was to portray East Berlin in the 1980s and the counter culture. I see photography as something that represents my zest for life. In addition to that is the Boiler Room, a video on the underground music platform with performances of DJs La Fleur, Len Faki, Discodromo, Sarah Farina, Mano Le Tough, and Lucy.ĭuring a talk on Berlin Subculture, moderated by Groove Magazine editor Heiko Hoffmann, Marquardt gave us an insight into his time in Berlin’s underground scene. The exhibition is accompanied by music of renowned DJs and music producers Marcel Dettmann, Rodhad, Head High, Massimiliano Pagliara, Answer Code Request, Tale Of Us, David August and Modeselektor. He was recently in Singapore to unveil his photographic media installation at DECK, as part of an exhibition titled Club Berlin: Electronic Music and Photography, currently showcasing photography of Berlin’s club culture in the ’90s by Martin Ebele. Numerous articles have been written about the club, and how-to guides have been made for those who wish to get past its doors under the watchful, discerning eyes of Marquardt and his trained colleagues.īesides his day job as a bouncer, Marquardt is also an accomplished photographer who’s published two photography books and a memoir. ![]() This notoriously strict unspoken door policy has turned Berghain into something of a temple for purveyors of techno. Once inside, guests are forbidden from taking photos, let alone film videos of the club. Every week on the door, he turns hopeful punters away, while allowing the lucky techno fans he deems fit to enter. It is important to know that Marquardt is not just your archetype of a bouncer he is a curator. He plays a crucial role in maintaining the club’s unique atmosphere for as long as the parties go on. But Sven Marquardt, the world’s most talked-about bouncer and the face of world renowned techno club Berghain, is more than just that. Bouncers are usually seen as the gatekeepers and rule enforcers of a club.
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