Nostalgia

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote:

It was a "thing" in Germany about 15 years ago amongst a certain subsection of self-loathing middle-class graduates who pined for an era that they barely remembered. It culminated in a movie called Good Bye Lenin, and a couple of bars with cheap Soviet tat on the walls - all now long closed (rather like the ideals that they sought to romanticise).

Yeah, like Wohnzimmer in Prenzlauer Berg is gone a few years now. I go to Berlin often enough and I noticed an even weirder thing about the Ostalgie residue: Germans may be sick of it, but American/transnational elite trustafarian start-uppers/dot-commers are expecting to see this kind of stuff. So you have a weird situation where the make-do ethic is slowly giving way to something newer, more original and creative as seen by newer generations of Berliners, other places are cashing in on these foreigners' expectations of a rapidly fading Berlin that stopped really existing around 2004. These places are still furnished in increasingly rare flea market vintage furniture, dot-commers are furnishing their lofty apartments with this stuff. It's got expensive. And a lot of it gets shipped off to other countries and other markets. So you have this weird situation where more and more of certain parts of Berlin are beginning to resemble a Berliner version of Temple Bar with all the plastic paddy pubs. I mean, only 8 years ago, I'd visit and go to gigs in well-known squats, and now most of those are gone. Famous clubs like Berghain are just mainstream. So I think that era of nostalgia seems to have passed quite a lot for Germans, but not for foreigners who never experienced it directly, but want to experience the idea of an ostalgic city that no longer exists. Get me?

BUT, I'll also defend nostalgia. I think there are at least two kinds. One is head-in-the-sand, escapist nostalgia. This is dangerous. It's the impulse to invent a purer time in the past (that never existed) to make people feel better about their experience of the present. Essentially, it's a feeling that leads to a rejection of the present. It's selfish and narcissistic. There's another kind of nostalgia which is positive. It starts from the same place, but it's much more about a generation re-evaluating aspects of the past in order to recover something lost, to learn something in order to inform and improve the present. For example, as a graphic designer, I've noticed a trend in recovering modern typographic styles of the early 20th century that got sidelined. But now designers are seeking inspiration from those and bringing design to new places. In the late 20th century, graphic design was all about rejecting the past and only looking to the future. Eventually, I'm sure people will come to be nostalgic for that design period.

Nostalgia is a funny one. It's a warm fuzzy feeling. But it's also annoying.

sarkozy wrote: »

Yeah, like Wohnzimmer in Prenzlauer Berg is gone a few years now. I go to Berlin often enough and I noticed an even weirder thing about the Ostalgie residue: Germans may be sick of it, but American/transnational elite trustafarian start-uppers/dot-commers are expecting to see this kind of stuff. So you have a weird situation where the make-do ethic is slowly giving way to something newer, more original and creative as seen by newer generations of Berliners, other places are cashing in on these foreigners' expectations of a rapidly fading Berlin that stopped really existing around 2004. These places are still furnished in increasingly rare flea market vintage furniture, dot-commers are furnishing their lofty apartments with this stuff. It's got expensive. And a lot of it gets shipped off to other countries and other markets. So you have this weird situation where more and more of certain parts of Berlin are beginning to resemble a Berliner version of Temple Bar with all the plastic paddy pubs. I mean, only 8 years ago, I'd visit and go to gigs in well-known squats, and now most of those are gone. Famous clubs like Berghain are just mainstream. So I think that era of nostalgia seems to have passed quite a lot for Germans, but not for foreigners who never experienced it directly, but want to experience the idea of an ostalgic city that no longer exists. Get me?

There's actually an establishment (couldn't honestly say if it's a restaurant, pub or cafe) called Berlin in Dublin which is decorated in this DIY recycled style. Telephone cable spools for tables, I remember thinking how hard it must have been to source them to create the impression of making do.

L'Enfer du Nord wrote: »

There's actually an establishment (couldn't honestly say if it's a restaurant, pub or cafe) called Berlin in Dublin which is decorated in this DIY recycled style. Telephone cable spools for tables, I remember thinking how hard it must have been to source them to create the impression of making do.

Yeah, it's a terrible, terrible name. If you're going to bring a flavour of a contemporary Berlin café as a concept, don't call your café Berlin. It's not a nostalgic café, though. The style is contemporary make-do (like Silo, Bonanza and a load of others in Berlin). That's the trend. For more genuine make-do, The Fumbally is the place because the crowd who set that up also run the Newmarket Square flea market (where there's also a vintage furniture fair once a month!).

Landry Wonderful Drizzle wrote: »

To be honest, I always felt that resorting to "Hey lads, remember the 80s" shtick is a cheap way to relate to people. Bit like Father Ted quoting and discussing football. Lowest common denominator stuff.

That and its a terrible way of aging you. I went back to college as a mature student. I was out on the tear with a few classmates and for some reason the Berlin Wall coming down came up (?) in conversation. I got misty eyed remembering how pissed I was that night. One or two of them mentioned they hadn't even been born then. 1989. I'm getting weepy now.

Landry Wonderful Drizzle wrote: »

To be honest, I always felt that resorting to "Hey lads, remember the 80s" shtick is a cheap way to relate to people. Bit like Father Ted quoting and discussing football. Lowest common denominator stuff.

Yeah, there's a strong element of that. Has 90s nostalgia started yet? If so what will it focus on? I know there's already been some 90s fashion revival.

I never, ever get nostalgic.
But I used to back in the good old days...

FloatingVoter wrote: »

^ Oasis will reform and split up again (not before trousering a few squillion quid). Showgazing will return in limp force. Along with pudding bowl haircuts.

Come to think of it the 90s was the golden age of nostalgia TV, so maybe they'll revive that.

I hear that Viz was funnier in the 80's.

sarkozy wrote: »

I'm not sure nostalgia is heightened at times of innovation. I think it's heightened at times of crisis when people are desperate for answers. As I said, some want to retreat into a makey-uppy cotton wool past, while others seek new inspiration in the past in order to innovate, but it's a strongly reflective mode. I think at times of great innovation, people are looking forwards. Though, of course, ideas never come out of thin air.

I think in terms of technology innovation has barely let up since the steam engine. I'm no expert, but cultural things like design, music, film and literature innovation seems to wax and wane. I'd say the mid 20th century was more innovative for most of these things than the current era. But that could just be nostalgia on my part..

Yes the 80's were sh1t,but had it's moments.Here's an anthem of the decade -

Also, has the Boards nostalgia forum been shut down yet? Monstrosity of the highest order. Might as well call it the "Oh, and do you remember ...?" forum.