The Riviera Grünau consists of two once impressive buildings; the Ballhaus and the Gesellschaftshaus, which translates literally as ‘society house’. Like the Ballhaus, the Gesellschaftshaus is falling to pieces and there are now few signs of it’s former gory apart from this rapidly decaying hall. Throughout the building the floors are virtually non-existent, the decor is long gone and graffiti, including a worrying abundance of nazi graffiti, pervades the entirety. The ceiling in the hall, once red, now looks close collapse.
As this postcard from 1910 shows, guests could sail down the Spree and arrive by boat. While the Ballhaus can boast of a cultural significance during the 1920s as a concert venue, the Gesellschaftshaus seems more like a reminder of the opulence in days gone by.
As you will see in the video, in the hall itself there are now two large wall paintings on either side which add yet another layer to this space; an abandoned reminder of a bygone era still visited by both artists and neo-nazis alike and still an excellent space for a performance.
The piece played here is the first part of a group of three pieces. The name of the piece reflects this. It also reflects the fact that the themes of the piece are quite diverse and abstract.
For some nice photo’s of the buildings go here
Urban Exploration Field Recording 