Hanging out with Benjamin Teske, Berliner Filmmaker

So...Towards the end of this summer I got a message from a friend/curator in Berlin, Rebecca Brodskis, that Ben Teske - A filmmaker, was visiting London for a week or so with some friends. Unfortunately, I could not put him up at the time due to a religious festival falling at the beginning of their stay, neither could I meet up in the famous Red House for dinner with Oli Bonzanigo (friend/artist), who was able to put them up for the while. Eventually, I managed to meet up with Ben in Hoxton Square Bar on their final weekend here...

Also with Ben was the very sweet Constanze 'Connie' Schmitt, who is a camerawoman and has worked with Ben on a number of his films (as I understand)...

Also travelling with was the fruity Zara Teller. A student Designer (in the making)!

After Hoxton Bar I knew of two parties going down, one in Stoke Newington and the other in Hackney Wick which was supposed to be more of a warehouse thing. We went to the warehouse party which was not as amazing as the space itself. Ben was dressed in a french stripey top. Also present at the party was the artist Charles Garcin aka CACA Boudin who I have exhibited with as part of the Gadje collective.

The next day I agreed to meet Ben at the Tate Modern. He had managed to get free press tickets reporting for a magazine in Berlin. We went to see the 'Exposed' exhibition. I particularly liked the Nan Goldin slideshow which happened to be showing all of the erotic and explicit photographs just as we walked in! Great! I sat and spoke to Ben a lot about my work and my plans, his work and his plan, his move to Hamberg to continue his film progression. Despite the rain, it was an enjoyable day and I felt we were able to get to know each other well.

Then after the Tate had kicked us out, we met up with Connie and Zara and on London Bridge I finally snapped a photograph, last minute memory of their visit here to London, before I rode off on my bike into the blizzard wearing my giant red rain coat!

Here is Ben in interview about his film called Rummel.