Category: Art & Culture

  • Getting ink at AKA

    Category: ,

    We’ve been meaning to get tattoos for a long time, something permanent to symbolises our love and life together. When we got married, we talked about inking the deal with something (literally) in the place of rings – but, looking at David Duchovny’s finger tatt, I’m glad we didn’t. It took a second life-changing experience to make up our minds: the move to Berlin. If you don’t care what our matching tattoos mean, skip straight to the pretty pictures of them and the place we got them – AKA Berlin – but if you do care, read on…

    Moving to Berlin is (one of) the best thing(s) we’ve ever done, überlin represents the move, and now these two little squares symbolise überlin (they’re the pixelated umlauts that sit above the “u” on our logo). This blog is our memoir, our media, our Meinungen, and has put us in touch with some of the most incredible people we’ve ever met – and are yet to meet. It’s worth celebrating, and we could think of no better way to immortalise it than with indelible ink. Thanks Sarah from AKA Berlin for making it happen!

    34 Responses to “Getting ink at AKA”

    1. Alice says:

      I like your blog, I am glad that I have finally found and read it.
      And I come soon in Berlin:) I would be happy if you answer me – I understood, that your tattoo-master was Sarah – what is her full name? Did you write her in advance to discuss the appointment and the style and type of your new tattoo?
      I would also like to make a tattoo at AKA, that’s why I ask you and I would be glad to be given some instructions:) Thanks!

    2. Silke says:

      I really like your tattoos!
      A friend and I also want to go to AKA for our first tattoos, but we’re afraid AKA is quite expensive..
      May I ask you if your tattoos were expensive?

      • James Glazebrook says:

        Glad you like them!

        Most tattoo parlours have a minimum spend, which was €60 at AKA. Given that our tattoos were very small and very quick, I guess they were expensive. The best idea is to contact them with your idea and ask for a quote.

        Or try White Light Tattoo, where I got these done: https://uberlin.co.uk/new-tattoos/

        Good luck :)

    3. papaerk says:

      Had to make the 100 likes up and wouldnt mind having a square tatoo like you guys X

    4. […] x t-shirt from AKA, the place we got our matching überlin tattoos. This Philippe Fernandez anatomical heart print is only available in the AKA store in […]

    5. […] up our überlin merchandise (on sale soon!), Linsey from VentureVillage getting tattooed by the AKA lot, SAY IT selling their geometric Bowie and Björk t-shirts and Josh Bauman, who was as stoked […]

    6. james, where is your belt? oh and nice ink.

    7. […] since we got our first tattoos at AKA, we’ve been itching (not literally!) to get more. No matching designs this time, though. As […]

    8. Adam says:

      I love this tattoo!! I’m planning to get a rectangle in a similar place on my forearm. Love the meaning behind yours, though – brilliant concept and nicely done!

    9. Unc Tom says:

      Simple and understated but very neat. Spot on.

    10. James says:

      Wow, thanks for the comments everyone – well, everyone except Lauren!
      It’s always nice to get positive feedback about both the blog and the permanent marks on our bodies. We’ve got plans for plenty more – watch this space :)

    11. sarah says:

      sehr sehr cool.
      mein liebster und ich kriegen im august auch ein gemeinsames tattoo.
      btw: du bist meine neue blogliebe.
      X

      • Zoe says:

        Thanks so much Sarah! looking forward to seeing your new tat soon. Really glad you like the blog and we’d love to swap links if you’re up for it as well?

    12. Valentini says:

      Really really lovely tats guys. Beautiful photos as ever.

      Lisa made an excellent point though. You get that done it looks very very cool. If we got that done we’d look ridiculous. Lisa would have to have hers on her shoulder and mine below the elbow just to line up.

    13. Eric says:

      love them just right and the design is great just enough to generate “whats that all aboot”
      xxxxxx

    14. Lauren says:

      AKA aka the poshest tattoo parlour eva!
      Democracy for the bourgeois!

    15. Lauren says:

      Awwwwhhhh! I love it! James u look so much like your Dad in one photo! hope to visit u both in Berlin soon ????
      Here’s to many more years of happiness, oomlauts! xxx

    16. Ingrid says:

      So cool and also beautiful! Love them.

    17. Katie says:

      yay! really like them! well done you two :-) x

    18. Amazing! and Finally… It’s just the start right. A square for every year, right?

    19. Luci says:

      Love it! You guys are adorable. Great choice of tattoos with all that they imply.

      • James says:

        Thanks Luc! We’re getting a lot of comments like “adorable” and “cute” – I’m sure the people at AKA would be sick in their mouths if they knew…

        • Luci says:

          Hah, I thought about that when I wrote my comment. But the tattoos aren’t cute or adorable, YOU TWO are. That’s different. And they must know that the act of getting matching tattoos is an act of love and that is puppy-cute and kitten-adorable.

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  • Hello Etsy! Hello money-off code!

    Category: ,

    Hello Esty Berlin

    The lovely people at Etsy have been kind enough to offer 20 of our readers money off tickets to its first conference, Hello Etsy: A Summit on Small Business and Sustainability. To book your place at the conference with €10 off, simply follow this link and enter this promotion code: uberlin_helloetsy2011

    Hello Etsy is billed as a “hands-on gathering for small business owners who want to connect with their peers, learn new skills, and be part of the movement to build sustainable micro-economies.” As Berlin fast establishes itself as the startup capital of Europe, and people continue to flock here to do their own thing, Etsy is providing exactly the kind of support and structure that flakey creative types like us need!

    The conference takes place on September 17th and 18th, and features workshops and sessions covering the following areas: The Big Picture, The Product, The Business and The Market. We’re especially looking forward to “Wisdom of Friends – Facebook for Entrepreneurs”, with Gavin Sathianathan, Head of Commerce Partnerships at Zuck’s London office, “Ask your SEO Questions” and “Project Management for Indie Businesses”.

    The cherry on the top is the venue: Ewerk, Germany’s oldest preserved commercial powerplant. We got our rave on in this huge industrial space in 2009, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and we’re excited to be going back there. If you’re reading this from outside Germany, Etsy tell me there will be satellite events taking place across Europe and in the US and Canada – check out the Hello Etsy site for more details.

    Ewerk

    2 Responses to “Hello Etsy! Hello money-off code!”

    1. Papa says:

      Looks good James are you and zoe going ?

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  • Deutsch Klasse Doodles

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    Category: ,

    I do pay attention, honest! The drawing helps me concentrate… vielleicht.

    Deutsch Klasse Doodle 1

    Deutsch Klasse Doodle 2Deutsch Klasse Doodle 3

    One Response to “Deutsch Klasse Doodles”

    1. Daniel Nunes says:

      I really do the same thing man. I thought tha I was the only one, but I’m not the only one uhuuu. I live in Brasil. Yes we write with (S).

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  • Urban Sketching

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    I went back to Soma at Hamburger Bahnhof this weekend. I know… I was less than impressed with it on my first visit, but this time was different – I went along with Rolf and Oona of the Urban Sketchers network. While the name of this loose affiliation of artists is fairly self-explanatory, you can read more about it – and Rolf’s involvement – over on Slow Travel Berlin. Although my companions were underwhelmed by the installation itself, they turned out some impressive work – you can see Rolf’s sketches from the day here, and Oona’s here. Personally, I enjoyed the experience – in the relative quiet of a random Saturday morning (after the Christmas crush), the reindeer seemed peaceful, the canaries unobtrusive (it took me about half an hour to remember their chirping wasn’t just a recording), and the piss-smell not quite as rank. I found myself really looking, noticing small things like the ear buds worn by the deer’s keeper, for whom this was just another day at work. My passion for sketching reignited, I picked up pen and pad again when I visited Chipps for the umpteenth time later that day. Anyway, here are some drawings what I made.

    Urban sketching 1

    Urban sketching 2