Berghain is a nightclub in Berlin, Germany. It is named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain in Berlin, and is a short walk from Berlin Ostbahnhof main line railway station. Founded in 2004 by friends Norbert Thormann and Michael Teufele, it has since become one of the world’s most famous clubs, and has been called the “world capital of techno.”
Berghain has become associated with decadence and hedonism. It is open continuously most weekends from Saturday night through late Monday morning. The club offers dark rooms dedicated to sexual activity, and the media repeatedly reported of guests openly indulging in sexual acts. In 2019, Frieze magazine observed that while in Berghain’s early years, “the main room was mostly a space for gay men, […] now its queer palette is more mixed [but] the club’s values remain the same: concealment, queerness and excess.”The twice-yearly Snax Party is reserved for gay patrons.
No photos are allowed inside the club, with patrons required to cover their smartphone cameras with a sticker. The policy was maintained in 2020 when the club temporarily converted into an art space for the “Studio Berlin” exhibition during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the toilets of the club there are no mirrors, so that guests are spared the “buzzkilling indignity of seeing their own faces after an epic partying session.” Wikipedia
Marr’s Sculpture in the Klo Bar of Berghain “Together” is a 9 meter sculpture made from 250 kg’s of cola flavoured sugar. Its a love story of sorts, starting in lust and ending in blissful love. The sculpture “Together” is a progression of togetherness in all its sensual and lustful forms, some violently sexual, others extremely sensual until a moment where the needs of lust are satiated and a new kind of loving togetherness is desired.
I wanted to make a story that was natural, not boring… not just an orgy, but something we all can relate to regardless of our sexual orientation. Therefore after great sex, what do we need or want? a cigarette? or perhaps a connection is made with that person, and we just want to lay close together and enjoy the moment resting in an embrace.
‘Berghain’ permanent installation
Medium: Sugar, Cola Ahoi Brauser flavor, preserved with several layers of polyurethane
Size: Variable
Date: 2013
Image Credit: Ulf Saupe
‘Berghain’ installation
