Letters Are My Friends Events

Menace Beach feat. Low Bros / 10th & 28th april 2013

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:16:00 -0400

On 10th april, in frame of the Pictoplasma festival we’ll have an exhibition of our “Lettersfriends” LowBros coming up! Under the name “Menace Beach” they’ll present a new, fictional skateboard gang, based on the 70’s and 80’s skateboard era. As well as a small film project they’ve been working on together with Editude Pictures and a lot of other stuff you shouldn’t miss!

Our whole showroom will turn into “Menace Beach”, which also includes a skateable miniramp in the shop window. There will be great music support by Sarah Farina, Efalive and Migs Jacker during the opening day. At 6pm you’ll get some fresh cocktails at the bar!

So be on board and roll by ;-)

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The exhibition starts at noon (12 pm) already - drinks from 6pm till late.
http://www.facebook.com/events/407236506039774/

There will be a finissage aswell on sunday 28th! http://www.facebook.com/events/592715997405653/

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Vernissage / Wednesday, 10th april 2013
Exhibition at 12 pm
Drinks at 6pm - late

Finissage / Sunday, 28th april 2013
starts around 4pm afternoon

Boppstrasse 7
10967 Berlin
______________________________________
www.pictoplasma.com

DJs:

Sarah Farina:
http://www.facebook.com/sarahfarinabln

Efalive:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/efalive-of-the-jazoburbs/135707699847495?fref=ts

Thanks for the support:
http://www.facebook.com/SkyRanch.Berlin?fref=ts

14.12.12 - vvvvip vlagshipstore opening

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:36:00 -0500

We proudly host vvvv’s first international vlagshipstore.

In a wonderful act of modesty the hybrid textual/graphical programming environment goes realworld. Just 10 days short of its 10th anniversary on December 24th 2012 vvvv performs a friendly takeover and humbly discloses its first international vlagshipstore at our premises.

”Everything we knew was wrong!”.

10 years in the making the software is clearly at its peak. The number of licensees easily overflows 6 bytes and featurewise the international community of users is asking for a break. But vvvv can’t rest and has evolved out if its virtual boundaries just in time…

An undisclosed source at vvvv is quoted “Quad the fuck!?”.

The first international vlagshipstore will open on December 14th 2012. It will feature an exhibition of works by artists Rainer Kohlberger, Eno Henze, Arístides Job García Hernández, Ingo Italic and Bärbel Bold, some live-techno-jazz by tonfilm and special appearances by a doctor and Santa Claus.

Tickets to the vvvvip opening are publicly available through http://guestli.st/134517 for 10€. Due to the very limited number of tickets sold it is advised to act quick. Strictly no chance of entry without ticket!

Thanks for technical support to http://www.satis-fy.com/ and http://www.m-box.de

vvvv and LettersAreMyFriends are looking forward to see you at the celebration of its 10th birthday.

237 words, 1685 characters
press contact:
press@vvvv.org

CON<>FORM 19.07.

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:45:00 -0400

CON<>FORM
Content vs. Form
A Collaborative Poster Clash

exhibition w/ pseudo election party

Thursday 19th July 2012
At Letters Are My Friends / Berlin

On 19th of July the two parties Content & Form are competing visually and interactive at Letters Are My Friends’ typographic concept store: The collaborative exhibition CON<>FORM deals with the subject of conceptual contentdriven editorials versus free-form based graphic design within the setting of a politically incorrect debate: are content and form contradictory or complimentary?

The respective representatives for form and content are VA 300 - a screenprint poster edition created 2010 in Augsburg, Germany and a free quarterly publication called POSTRmagazine from Ghent, Belgium.

Both sides have a very unique and opposed approach on design: VA 300, initiated by Michael Titze, Sebastian Onufszak, Benjamin Stephan & Christoph Haag followed a curated exhibition concept. As part of it they invited well-known national and international design studios to create a silkscreen poster for the 300th anniversary of the University of Augsburg. Contributing artists are Mirko Borsche , C100/Purple Haze , HelloHikimori , Evgeny Kiselev , Eike König , Eva Krusche , The Rainbowmonkey , Sebastian Onufszak , Smatik and Viagrafik. VA300 also came up with a generative poster creator.

POSTRmagazine, piloted by Pieter de Kegel & Rob van Jaarsveld, dubs itself a ‘counter culture chronicle’. In an editorial landscape of ad-driven content and sponsored magazines, POSTR sports a new form of non-mainstream gonzo journalism, infused with a healthy dose of accurate paranoia and surprising revelations. On the day of the exhibition, POSTRmagazine will also be releasing its latest issue on identity and privacy in the digital era.

Dressed up as a BBQ election fun(d)raiser, which is also the 1year birthday celebration party of Letters Are My Friends, both parties will attempt to raise the most votes for their posters. At the end of the day we will know which side will take the throne and wave its tyrannical scepter over the bloody battlefield that is the public space.

Dates:
Thursday 19.07.2012 BBQ & Vernissage with all representatives
- a contribution of 5€ includes BBQ flatrate and a goodybag -

With lovely music by
WORLD GANG (LIVE-SET) // COMFORT FIT (LIVE-SET) // SARAH FARINA (DJ)!!

Letters Are My Friends
Boppstrasse 7
10967 Berlin

Exhibition:
Friday 20.07.2012 - Sunday 05.08.2012

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THIS EVENT IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY WULLE BIER, HUETTENPALAST, STICKMA, KLUB 7 & ONFORMATIVE.

And ohhh yeah: did we mentioned it yet!? We are very proud to have a new handlettered window front by Mister Otto Baum form da Klub7Collective. Sweeeet!

See an amazing foto galery brought to you by lafkon here!

15.09.2012 - Upper Case & Lower Space

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:59:00 -0400

The Typo Berlin 2012-friendly showcase of Letters Are My Friends:

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Upper Case & Lower Space

- A night with parametric typography & other sensory delights.

Due to the extensive distribution of new mobile media such as iPad, iPhone and a growing amount of larger displays in our living environment, we have to question the changing conditions of design(ing), and therefore, notions of visual habits.

What makes a typeface a typeface? Which laws are subjecting a font? Which techniques and displays define their body? Which influences are affecting the design through the use of special tools? Is a font generally perceived as being flat and static?

More than ever, the combinations of new technologies allow us to create, display and use type in fundamentally different ways. As we compare this to architecture, the construction and the design adapts to the new technical possibilities.

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Since 2011, ‘Letters Are My Friends’ - a design laboratory in Kreuzberg -, runs regular events dedicated to the interfaces of type’n’tech. On the occasion of the Typo Berlin 2012, members of the collective Frida Fraktur, Gerrit Grotesk, Mino Light, Ingo Italic and Bärbel Bold will drop a showcase featuring interconnecting, correlating and back-to-back works: “Upper Case & Lower Space – parametric typography and other sensory delights”.

The showcase displays typedesign as a versatile, ductile element, typified by print, installation, software and animation. Letters are developed, newly-arranged, generated from different angles, deconstructed by code in their component parts – or get a mission order within the moving image. Disciplines are fluid, moving between print, motion and interaction design: Type is language – language is alive. Nowhere is this revealed more distinctively.

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Frida Fraktur’s 26 Steps is an experiment in creating letterforms out of the most basic components of typography; the line and the curve. Using a default setting of 26 steps with the blend tool, recognisable letterforms appear. The variations create at times elegant forms, and at other times awkward, yet legible characters. Based on the same principle of repeating a singular unit 26 times, the experiment will be taken from the digital world of vector graphics, to the analog world of materials and objects.

Based on the idea that the most interesting part of an animation is always the transition from a to b, Ingo Italic developed a generative typography using the toolkit vvvv. This dynamic framework transforms three-dimensional linear structures into all the letters of the alphabet, fluidly morphing from one to another.

Bärbel Bold is looking for the proof of case of „Buchstabengewitter“, and shows in a bunch of test series called „weather-proof“ the flexibility and applicability in experimental type in motion cases.

Mino Light’s „Cocoon“ approaches an experimental demonstration made in Nodebox. Lines start to grow randomly, filling the body of a font. At first, only inside the path, and step by step, they end up wrapping the letters like a cocoon in which new types and combinations come to life. With only a few lines of code it is possible to create almost infinite interactions between graphic elements and type. The video created for the event will illustrate one of these unlimited combination.

As usual Gerrit Grotesk shows up as Joker. Surprise, surprise.

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Saturday, 19.5. 2012

starts 8 pm, Boppstrasse 7, 10967 Berlin

FB: http://www.facebook.com/events/333316890067073/

Get a glimpse. http://vimeo.com/nindustrict/lamf2012

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Bring your bodyheat also for our new neighbour’s coffee place Kasuka, which gonna run simultaniously an opening party! Blockpartytime!

WE are at Bleed Festival Ghent

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:28:36 -0400

We are proud to anounce that Letters Are My Friends will be part of the awesome visual design get-together BLEED in Ghent Belgium at the end this month. Pieter of POSTRmagazine fame has assembled a great line-up of creative heads that will present their ideas on Saturday 31.03.2012 from 10am till 7pm at ZEBRASTRAAT Ghent. Can’t wait to meet Graphic Surgery, VJ Konstruktiv, Jurgen Maelfeyt, Glossy.TV and many more. Other venues taking place in are DOKgent and A&Gallery.

On top of that we are giving a lecture on generative typography & lettering at the Univeristy College of West Flanders HOWEST one day before the festival on Friday 30.03.2012. Belgium here we goooooooo.

Sat 31.03. + Sun 01.04.2012
morning - midnight

BLEED - Across Graphic Design
Zebrastraat 32
9000 Ghent
Belgium

12.03. Etsy Labs Event: “Lazzzorlove & Loveletters”

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:37:00 -0500

Magic Magnetic: Mit vereinten Kräften laden euch Bärbel Bold und Erhan Eszett von lasernlasern in die wunderbare Welt der Magnetbuchstaben ein.

In Kollaboration mit großartigen Typographen aus der ganzen Welt und deren feinster Schriften kann man bei Typecutter normalerweise Päckchen mit individueller Magnetschrift als Kit zum Selberbauen bestellen.

An diesem Etsy-Lab-Montag produziert ihr euer eigenes magnetisches Alphabet. Pimp your Kühlschrank! Material des Abends wird stabile Wellpappe in schwarz, weiss und natur sein.

Die Teilnehmerzahl ist begrenzt auf 20 Personen. Bitte verbindlich via Email an deutsch@etsy.com anmelden. Wir schicken euch dann alle weiteren Infos zu!

18:00 – 21:00 Uhr
Etsy Labs
Ritterstraße 12-14
Berlin-Kreuzberg

FB-Event here.

SWEATY FEET EVENT

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:58:00 -0500

It is done! With the great help of you and your running stamina we finished the world’s first international GPS typeface. People from all over contributet to our project initiated with Figure Running. The second sunday of ferbuary we will be showing the results along with all the fun stories around each glyph - who ran it, where, why and how. No pedestrians where harmed in the making of this font!

OPENING:

Sunday 12. February 2012
From 12 (Noon) - 21h
Boppstrasse 7

15.12.2011 / Triple XXX & Double DD

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:46:00 -0500

Herzliche Einladung zu Letters Are My Friend’s
erster gemeinsamer Weihnachtsfeier TRIPLE XXX + DOUBLE DD.

Ab 19:00 Uhr gibt es heisse Mojito Crepes nach einem Spezialrezept von Rico Rockwell, generiertes Buchstabengewitter von Ingo Italic, Langzeitbelichtungslettering mit Roman Regular und die einmalige Weltpremiere von The Flying Dutch Windowlicker, hier bekannt als Gerrit Grotesk, auf die wir selbst sehr gespannt sind.

PLUSPLUSPLUS: Typowichteln!!!! Bringt also mit, was euch in die Krallen kommt. So do we! Ob Glückskeks, Tinte oder Bleisatz, alles Beheimatete darf mitmachen.

Bei dieser Gelegenheit releasen wir auch Paul Punzes Conceptfont “LF JaneFonda” - im Schnitt eine Headlineschrift, der performativer Buchstabensatz mit menschlichen Körpern zugrunde liegt. (Dafür haben Bärbel und Ingo in ihrer Artist-in-Residency Anfang des Jahres aber auch wirklich alles gegeben.)

Ausserdem freuen wir euch die erste Kaufproduktreihe aus dem Hause Letters Are My Friends & typecutter vorstellen zu dürfen: Bärbel Bolds & Erhan Eszett’s erste Magnetbuchstabenset-Edition der wundervollen Schriften von Melle Diete & Fabian Buckermann.
Kaufbar als Einzelalphabetsatz, im Double- & Tripleset oder als einsame Einzelletter. For now and forever, you friends and your frigde. Ab jetzt im Laden.

Ihr findet uns ab 19:00 Uhr in der Boppstrasse.
Dann is erstmal Feierabend.

XXX+DD

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ENGLISH VERSION:
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We are having a celebration called TRIPLE XXX + DOUBLE DD
and you are cordially invited.

From 7pm we will offer hot Mojito Crepes made by Rico Rockwell, a new generative typeface called ‘Buchstabengewitter’ by Ingo Italic, long exposure lettering by Roman Regular and a world premier by The Flying Dutch Windowlicker formerly known as Gerrit Grotesk.

PLUSPLUSEXTRAPLUS: Typowichteln!!! Please bring a little present that you want to give to a stranger. It can be everything from a Fortune Cookie, Ink or lead typesetting. Just use what you can find at home!

We are releasing Paul Punzes Conceptfont “LF JaneFonda” - a headline typeface that is based on performance letterdancing. It has evolved from a project that Bärbel and Ingo initiated in Stuttgart earlier this year.

Also we are happy to present the first line of buyable goods by lettersaremyfriends and typecutter:
Bärbel Bold and Erhan Eszett produced beautiful magnetic typesets featuring fontstyles by Melle Diete & Fabian Buckermann. The letters can be bought as single items or as an alphabet set in single, double or tripple amounts. For now and forever, you friends and your frigde. Find it in our store.

Come around from on Thursday 15.12.2011 from 7pm
Boppstrasse 7
10967 Berlin

Love,
Your Letterheads

Type & Sound 2: MEEK.FM + Paint Speed Dating at 11:11 a.m. / p.m.

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:33:00 -0400

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Dear lovers of type & tech,

Welcome to the second part of our Type & Sound series. We’re still running Roland Lößlein’s impressive interactive installation “Digging in the Crates” (see our blog for more details!) in our showroom, but gonna release another interactive inimitable synthesizer installation by Rob Meek & Frank Müller. Yes!

The famous MEEK.FM typesynthesizer modulating music synced to type. - It is the only one-of-its-kind, and has been shown at the Typo2007 and some other festivals, but since then disappeared in a bookshelf of his createurs. It is just the right time, to resurrect it.

What else is happening on this one-time AM / PM event?!

Due to this unique date “11.11.2011-11Uhr11” Letters Are MyFriends want to invite you two times at this day at 11.11 a.m. / p.m. -sharp- to come over to our showroom, each time for a special paint-speed-dating session limited to 5 minutes.
This means: we are playing music and in the meantime all participants - separated in two people vis-à-vis - are drawing on the same paper. Dedicated to get known your counterpart better, it is meant to show off your personal typetype and at least your name. ;)

Aside from all of this Ingo Italic, will also create a new fassade painting over our frontwindow.

So there are many reasons, why you should definitely join us next friday, even if the installations run till mid of december.
We looking forward to meeting you!
Yours Letterfriends Gerrit Grotesk, Ingo Italic & Bärbel Bold

Check:

http://meekfm.org/

http://ditc.weaintplastic.com/

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=260952743950980

Fall/Winter collection 2011: Type & Sound

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:26:00 -0400

Letters Are My Friends’ fall/winter collection is on its way:

As the alphabet is the first audiovisual recording system we are dedicating our program from october till december to the tight and beautiful relation of Type & Sound.

A lot has been written and published in the last years about the crosslink relationship between the audio and the visual. The movement of VJs, Graphic- and Motion Designers that no longer just stick to their profession as visual artists but see their design role directly linked to space and sound.

The design process of music and visual art in the digital age is becoming an unified approach and results in new inspirations for both disciplines. With ‘Type & Sound’ we will feature three outstanding typographic projects of information architecture, instrument design and visualmusic that gently flatter a combination of applied audiovisual typography. Surprise, surprise! Let’s go.

We start on 1st october

Digging in the Crates by Roland Loesslein

Digging in the Crates is an interactive installation which offers possibilities to explore Sampling as a production technology of modern music. While dynamic data visualizations will be navigated using modified turntables, information graphics as well as auditory contributions helping to understand complex contents and relations.

Find the impressive documentaion about this amazing project here:

http://ditc.weaintplastic.com

The artist in person will be there!

Musically accompanied by Michael Titze from the GlitchHappens Crew in Augsburg, who turns the tables later that night.

The installation will be shown till mid of november in our showroom.
Join our FB event!

ABC is BBQ

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:20:56 -0400

We rescheduled this months bash due to a rubbish july, formerly known as summer, and would be very pleased to see as many of you as possible on the new date. Put Wednesday the 3rd of August in your calendars, schedules and muttihefte.

There’s going to be a proper BBQ. With a grilling and a typografic challenge (to put all the little accent marks right in place) involving Ćevapčići [tɕɛv̞ǎːpi], the Balkans favorite meat dish (also in a vegetarian version). If that’s not good enough for you, come for the super secret surprise guests or our lovely new facade & faces.

Wednesday
03.08.2011 at 7pm
Boppstrasse 7
Berlin

Opening Video

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:20:00 -0400

If you missed our opening in June, see this lil cut-up-trailer about what we doing and what this place is all about. Enjoy.

Many Thanks to Thomas Steimer for collecting the great video impressions!

And again to Graciela Maria to perform here live with Simon, to Letter Mpress for this faboulous colaboration and the lovely packages they sent us and all our guests who have been here!
Edit by Bärbel Bold, type by Rico Rockwell, music “respectrum” by Wagon Christ.

Opening!

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:03:18 -0400

Dear Fans of well dressed alphabets, good shapes, perfect keyframes and fine codes, Letters Are My Friends have a new home. Enough renovating, now it’s time to say ‘Hello!’. On Wednesday 1st of June from 8pm we cordially invite you to visit us at Boppstrasse 7 in Berlin Kreuzberg.

Facebookevent:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=181465005236614

We welcome you to our little showroom and lab that is dedicated to analogue and digital typography in combination with new technologies. We are also celebrating our lastest Letterhead Rico Rockwell. Bring along whoever you like - wether human being or abstract glyphs. Keep your kerning tight!

Pssssst Dresscode:
Become a letterfriend and wear your handwritten badge with a funky name.