Timi

I met Timi during my second year in Berlin. I never asked directly his age, but I can guess around 60 years old. Height in the norm and with a pair of sneaky, small blue eyes. I got to know him thanks to the späti people, or späti crew. The späti in Sanderstraße was one of our spots, where I met Timi and where we used to drink cheap beers and smoke thousands of cigarettes. Timi is the first character of this story for many reasons: he was one of the first people who believed in the Direct Network Studio project, and because he was always ready to help and support his friends. What it is curious about this character it’s the characteristic grumpiness of a man who lives his years, but at the same time the energy to cherish young friendships and connect to a full variety of people.Timi and I, we had a rough start. Not everybody can get you right away, and I was not getting him, let me say this, or he was not getting me, also possible.

“This is shit!” he screamed me. Timi was holding in his hands the new DNS magazine about Klaus, our friend and artist from the späti.

“Nothing is working, it’s too small, and it’s all in English. I can’t read this, and I won’t read this!” he keeps saying with a grunge on his face.

“I wanted to make it international, we live in Berlin, so everybody can understand” I continued.

“I don’t understand” he said,”We are living in Germany, what about German people reading this”.

I understood his point. The interview was originally in German, and we didn’t kept the version. At that time I was so exhausted: the making-off of the magazine sucked my vital energies because of its tortuous process. Working with artists can be the best creative experience, and at the same time a terrible ego battle. Every time.

He, then, took out of his bag a fancy magazine. I would have not expected this from him: I always thought Timi was a spirit of the streets, not an art enthusiast. “This is a proper magazine” he handed to me the book gently. It was a excellent edition: every article in the language of the artist or writer, different styles collected together in a small, elegant edition.

After that day my idea of Timi completely changed. The same day he showed his Pixel art to me and my partner. We later decided his participation in our collective was going to be fundamental. His “Next Level Bullshit” print it’s one of our bestsellers.