T R A V E L 2 0 1 1

F I V E M O N T H S N I N E C O U N T R I E S S I X T E E N C I T I E S

MY EUROPEAN JOURNEY

TOOK PLACE WHILE I STUDIED

ABROAD IN TRIER GERMANY

FOR FIVE MONTHS, STUDYING

COMMUNICATION DESIGN AT THE

FACHHOCHSCHULE, TRIER .

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24.03.2011

27.07.2011

Paris, France

24.03.2011

27.07.2011

PARIS, FRANCE

A R T H I S T O R Y

C A P I T O L

O F T H E W O R L D

My journey through Europe began in Paris,

the most romanticized city in the world.

Paris feels important when your there, walking

through the streets, seeing some of the most

iconic structures known to man. It feels romantic

and magnificent at the same time. The buildings,

streets, parks, fashion, cuisine, and language all

have an elegance that is very inspiring, and unique

to the Paris culture. The Musée du Louvre is by far

the most impressive and extensive art museum I

have visited, containing over 380,000 objects

from pre-history to the 19th century. Walking

through the Louvre is like walking through an art

history text book. It was incredible to see so many

paintings in person that I have studied for years. I

spent three days in Paris, and they were by far the

most intensive three days of travel I experienced.

With so much to see in Paris, the eager tourist in

me could not sit still or waste a single moment. I

walked everywhere, and embraced the city in

every way possible in that short period of time.

PARIS, FRANCE

Louis XIV of France Hyacinthe Rigaud

Grasse 1732 Paris Jean-Honoré Fragonard

ONE DOES NOT CLIMB

TO ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT,

RATHER, ONE CLIMBS

BECAUSE HE IS ENLIGHTENED

Grasse 1732 Paris Jean-Honoré Fragonard Cupid And Psyche Antonio Canova

10.04.2011

21.04.2011

Kreisau, Poland

10.04.2011

21.04.2011

E A T , D R I N K ,

A N D B E A R T S Y

It took one very tumultuous, miserable

eleven hour bus ride to Kreisau, Poland.

On that journey, I had no idea that I was in for

one of the best experiences I could ever have. I

remarkably found myself in this tiny town by taking

part in the 2011 European Forum of History and

Arts. This ten day art intensive program introduced

me to over seventy-nine student artists from

twelve participating universities and nine different

countries. I witnessed the creativity of all kind that

was unique to each country, city, or university of

each student. The program offered a vast variety

of programs for freedom in creativity that included

painting, various drawing medias, digital art, short

films, performance art, paper sculpture, and land

art. Within this program, the participants would

work within the field or medium of choice and

develop some type of artistic representation of

Kreisau, and its historical significance as a place of

Nazi resistance as well. We were given the theme

‘forced migration’, and at the end of the ten days,

showcased our new artwork as an exhibition in

Kreisau. Most were inspired by the surroundings in

Kreisau as well as the historical significance. This

incredibly tiny, humble town has a population of

220 people, and contains one tiny “market” next to

where we were staying. A walk through the town

shows a landscape of rolling farms and homes.

Various student works

SEVENTY-NINE STUDENTS T WELVE UNIVERSITIES & NINE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES COME TOGETHER FOR A JOINT EXHIBITION WITH THE THEME

FORCED MIGRATION.

FRAGMENTING WALL BY SAMANTHA FINE & JESSICA MARAK

FRAGMENTING WALL BY SAMANTHA FINE & JESSICA MARAK

P A P E R

P L A N E S

Out of the vast range of workshops offered

in Kreisau, paper sculpture was the most

foreign medium to me. Naturally, this is why

I chose to take part in that particular workshop.

This collaborated work was turned into a kind of

performance piece, by literally building a wall out

of paper that would force others to walk around

the wall that was obstructing their path in order to

coexist with the theme ‘forced migration’. Our final

product consisted of twenty white paper pillars

that stood over six feet tall. The pillars can be

moved to stand in a straight line, or staggered. The

top parts of the pillars contained die cut triangles,

which show movement. This embodies the pain

that the people of Poland were forced to endure

throughout this period of time.

10.04.2011

21.04.2011

Roma, Italy

10.04.2011

21.04.2011

Before going to Europe, Rome was the

most ‘famed’ city in my mind. It was special

to me because of the art history and architectural

history in the city. Rome seemed even more

extensive, with so much ground to cover in just a

few days. I found my independence as a traveler

here, by distancing myself from my group and

really exploring what seemed to call to me. Rome

is a beautiful Italian city, with a history that spans

over two and a half thousand years. It is diffused

with history around every corner. Everything

A N C I E N T A R T ,

A R C H I T E C T U R E ,

& C U L T U R E

LAOCOÖN & HIS SONS

that I had planned on seeing was so much more

monumental to see in person than to read about it

in a book. From the Vatican to the Sistine Chapel,

there is nothing that can compare to actually

seeing them in person. The ancient architecture

throughout the city is magnificent. Near the

Colosseum, is the Roman Forum, which was my

favorite surprise to stumble upon through my

explorations of this ancient city.

27.05.2011

30.05.2011

Amsterdam, Netherlands

27.05.2011

30.05.2011

It takes two expensive, polar opposite trips

to understand Amsterdam. My first trip was

with a group of thirteen people. We traveled the

city as a group, and spent most of our time in the

touristy center of the city. In my second trip, I went

with three people, and we rented an apartment

in a neighborhood away from the tourist–flooded

areas. Rather than visiting the attractions however,

found myself simply walking around, exploring the

streets and various stores. Amsterdam had an

incredible amount of graphic design on the streets.

A L M O S T

U N E X P E C T E D

Environmental design was everywhere, and this

was something I did not expect. The city is rather

calm once you get away from the center. The city is

flooded with people on bikes, which is coincidently

a great way to explore the city. I covered a lot of

ground on bike, and even got completely lost

one evening. There is such a unique culture in

Amsterdam that I had not see anywhere else. One

must really immerse themselves where the local

live in order to see the beauty of this city.

IMAGINATION

WILL TAKE YOU

EVERYWHERE

02.06.2011

04.06.2011

Berlin, Deutchland

02.06.2011

04.06.2011

Ich bin ein Berliner seems to be the city’s

slogan, and is seen all over Berlin. It means

‘I am a Berliner‘. It really is the perfect slogan for

the city, because after visiting this city, I wanted to

become a Berliner; to live there, to start my career

there. Berlin is an incredible city, perfect for the

young artist or designer. There is a niche for every

kind of art found in Berlin. Upon exploring the city,

I found creativity around every corner. The city

embraces its dark past, and has turned its scars

into art. There are signs of the history of World War

Two and the Cold War everywhere, but rather than

showing shame, Berlin shows to learn from the

past and turn it into something new. The Graffiti

culture of Berlin is evidence of this history, and is

A R T

W I T H O U T

B O R D E R S

a major aspect of the culture there. Graffiti covers

the streets of Berlin, turning every depressing,

cold brick building into an enormous, beautiful

mural. The graffiti artists see their work as way of

reclaiming the city. Graffiti culture began in Berlin,

and is traced back to the 1980’s in West Berlin.

The graffiti first blossomed in an neighborhood

called Kreuzberg, which is surrounded on three

sides by the Berlin Wall. Here, was miles of wall

space and little police scrutiny of the graffiti. This

street art in Berlin is seen everywhere, and it is

very apparent the influence it has had on the city,

and they way in which it shapes the culture.

EAST SIDE GALLERY, BERLIN WALL

The East Side Gallery is a set of murals on

the remaining panels on the Berlin Wall.

According to the website, the gallery is a 1.3km-

long section of the wall in the Friedrichshain-

Kreuzberg borough of Berlin. This area is a part of

the former East side of Berlin. Approximately 106

paintings by artists from all over the world cover

B A R R I E R S

I N T O B E A U T Y

this memorial for freedom and make it the largest

open air gallery in the world. The paintings at the

East Side Gallery document the time of change

and express the euphoria and great hopes for a

better and free future for all people of the world.

It is an international memorial for freedom. Many

of the murals have become very famous symbols

of the Berlin Wall, and the historical events that

have taken place in the city. The painting of Leonid

Brezhnev and Erich Honecker embracing in a

kiss was painted by Dmitri Vrubel. It is called My

God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love, and it

is one of the very iconic and memorable murals.

The sense of a sad history is very overwhelming

when visiting this gallery. The murals are all very

inspirational because they depict something so

powerful in a very meaningful and clever manner.

Tacheless: an international community of

artists, and a cultural melting pot. It embodies

Berlin to its very core. This center is in an old

ruined, formerly abandoned building located in

Mitte. It contains galleries and studios of local and

international artists. This place has become an

international meeting point for those interested

in art and culture. There are many different

kinds of artists located throughout this building

and outside of the building including sculptors,

painters, photographers, poster designers, and

jewelry designers. When I visited Tacheles, I met

artists from all over the world, including Italy, Spain,

Brazil, and Colombia. These people were young

artists, just like myself, and I was able to learn from

A N A R T I S T S ’

P A R A D I S E

them in a very inspirational way. This was one of

my favorite parts of Berlin, because you really get

a real sense about the culture of Berlin. Tacheles

a symbol for the situation of a reunified Berlin and

the dawn of a fresh, artistic freedom of Berlin.

The building, both inside and out, is covered in

graffiti. Walking through the many levels inside

the building is like traveling through a warped time

of paint, shapes, and words. It was a spectacular

place to explore both inside and outside.

04.06.2011

07.06.2011

Praha, Czech Republic

04.06.2011

07.06.2011

W H E R E T H E

L O C A L S G O

Art Prague is a local art show for various

artists all over Europe. It was a perfect chance

to see the kind of art people from all over the

region were creating. The show displayed many

different styles and types of art , including a

painting performance piece that I was fortunate

enough to see. Each artist had an area in the

gallery representing their work, and also showing

various amounts of promotional material. The

promotional material was great to see as a graphic

designer, and showed a lot of great printed design.

I learned and was inspired by a lot at this art show,

and the best part of it, was that if I had walked up

a different road on my way back from sightseeing,

I would have never found it. It was something I

simply stumbled upon, and turned out to be one of

the high points of my trip to Praha.

A GOOD TRAVELER HAS NO

FIXED PLANS, AND IS NOT

INTENT ON ARRIVING.

ARTIST UNKNOWN, SHOWN AT ART PRAGUE GALLERY

Praha, Czech Republic, was everything

but expected. The only planned aspect of the

trip was my transportation to get there and back

home. Everything was spontaneous, and it allowed

me to really get to know the city. Even the manner

in which I toured the city was impulsive. My group I

was traveling with was fortunate enough to meet a

local young architect out at one of Prague’s many

literally underground bars. This architect was

eager to practice his English, and gave my group a

detailed five hour tour of the city, explaining every

architectural detail of every building we passed by

T R U S T I N G

S T R A N G E R S

along our tour. He taught us that Prague is known

as ‘the golden city of spires’ The city takes great

pride in its architecture, that includes Medieval,

Baroque, and Renaissance style buildings. In

addition to this, it is a major art and culture center.

There is a constant flow of art openings, and

exhibitions using an array of media and styles.

Contemporary art, fine art, or the classics – the

Czech Republic is home to an abundance of art-

lovers, and this passion is reflected in the unique

and diverse culture of Prague.

09.06.2011

11.06.2011

London, England

09.06.2011

11.06.2011

The Designer: Richard

Stepping off the train at Liverpool station

was a whirlwind of excitement. We went to

immediately go meet the person we were staying

with; a friend of a friend named ‘Caz‘. I had no

idea the excitement that lay ahead of me. As we

obscurely met Caz Brown on the street, we met,

and followed him into one of the most trendy,

swanky areas of London for young ; this was East

London. He had a beautiful flat that overlooked

the city, and was right in the heart of a very artsy

area of London. Caz is a flourishing men’s clothing

B E C O M I N G A

L O N D O N L O C A L

designer, and was the guy to know around East

London. He took us to the hot spots around

town, directed us to the most ‘scene’ galleries

and meeting spots around town. Going out to

bars at night with him felt like I was traveling with

a celebrity. It was all very exciting. Through him, I

was introduced to a ton of artists and designers,.

. It was a very engaging experience that could be

beneficial in my future because many young and

talented designers I came in contact with.

The Designer: Richard

J U M P E R S ,

T R O U S E R S ,

& K N I C K E R S

East London was the ideal location to stay

as a young, curious designer. I stumbled

upon a summer student art show called Free

Range that is located in Old Truman Brewery, and

has been renovated into this temporary art show

for students. Free range provides new creative

graduates with the opportunity to showcase

their work on an international level. Categories

included in this show include fashion, textiles,

fine art, graphic design, photography, and interior

design. The annual design show is the largest

graduate show in Europe and contains over sixty

exhibitions. There was a lot of very influential

graphic design that I saw at the show. Just as the

people of London like to be unique and stand out

in their sense of fashion, they also like to express

this same feeling within the communication design

pieces that I saw at the exhibition.

STUDENT WORK, FREE RANGE ART, DESIGN & FASHION SHOW

STUDENT WORK, FREE RANGE ART, DESIGN & FASHION SHOW

NOT ALL THOSE

WHO WANDER

ARE LOST

01.03.2011

01.08.2011

Trier, Deutchland

01.03.2011

01.08.2011

S T R E E T P OS T E R S

A N D D E S I G N

TRIER: My home base for my five month

journey through Europe. With a population of

just over 105,000, it is a small place with a lot of

personality. Trier is the oldest city in Germany, yet

is not overtly touristy. The evidence of a unique

art and design culture is very evident in Trier. As

the oldest city in Germany, it has a lot of character

that makes it unique. The city is rather small, with

a population of just over 100,000. It contains two

universities, and has a large student population of

about 20,700. This abundance of students is quite

evident in the vast array of posters and graffiti

around the town. Poster design holds a place of

great importance in this town, unlike anything I

have ever witnessed in the United States. The

design culture in Trier is made up of the students,

and they do a fantastic job of utilizing their design

skills for functional purposes within the city. The

design students go to great lengths to show their

work, hosting exhibitions, short film festivals,

fashion shows, and parties in honor of the student

design community. The students here have a

major desire to use their design skills in every day

life and throughout the streets of Trier.

THE WORLD IS A BOOK AND

THOSE WHO DO NOT TRAVEL

ONLY READ ONE PAGE.

I N D E R

S C H U L E

Trier has been inspirational to my life as a

designer in many ways. It has served as the

catalyst for all of the European adventures that

have taken places, as well as the place of a formal

design education. This formal education, however,

has been very different from they manner in which

I had been taught at home. I was given much

more creative freedom in Trier, and it allowed me

to explore other design styles within my work. In

the classroom, I learned new techniques, while

simultaneously improving my knowledge of old

techniques. I was taught to look for aspects within

my own work that I had never been taught to do

before. Europe design is much different in the

United States, and it was helpful to be influenced

by this different style. European design is much

more clean, and almost always retreats back to

the idea of simplicity and a grid. As a designer,

this is something I have struggled with in the

past, but has become more clear to me. I learned

to find inspiration around every corner. Good

design is prevalent all throughout the different

cities I visited. I was inspired by my surroundings,

from my new found independence, and from the

other people around me. For this reason, it was a

wonderful opportunity for me to be able to study

design in Europe.

I N D E R

S C H U L E

IN THE PAST FIVE MONTHS , I HAVE TRAVELED TO NINE COUNTRIES & SIXTEEN MAJOR CITIES . WHAT A JOURNEY IT HAS BEEN.

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