Berliner Luft
Nature with its huge energy and revitalizing atmosphere is of great importance to me.
In nature, human beings can find a source of meaning, and I find the same energy in the big city.
The energies are complementary – not working against each other.
As sources of inspiration, both nature and urban life are compatible, and the dichotomy between the two creates an intersection, which is highly interesting.
Longing for the big city when in nature and longing for nature from a city street are ingrown poles.
Air is flowing between the locations – nature’s air and the big city’s air are interwining and sharing the same space.
When I was a child, I was given a small tin on which it said: ”Berliner Luft”. My father brought it back from Berlin. It felt very special to get a small part of Berlin’s air and space. The tin stayed in my room for years. I never opened it. But I often felt very lucky to have the possibility. To receive a bit of “Berliner Luft” when needed. Like an emergency exit.
I
Up they soar, the planet’s butterflies,
Pigments from the warm body of the earth,
Cinnabar, ochre, phosphor yellow, gold
A swarm of basic elements aloft
From: Butterfly Valley
A Requiem
By Inger Christensen Translated by Susanna Nied
Catherine Lefebvre 