Converse One Star Pro City Pack: A Love Letter to Berlin

From punk dive bars to bridges looking over glowing skies at sunset, who’s better to recommend places to capture rare beauty than a photographer? Using her keen eye, Marina Mónaco, a photographer from Buenos Aires, looks at Berlin through a rose-colored lens, with much appreciation for the city and the way in which it has shaped her artistic practice; with foundations in editorial and fashion shoots, Mónaco now captures youth culture across Europe, in no small part inspired by the scene she discovered once moving to Berlin to do so. Representing the city for the Converse One Star Pro  City Pack, the artist reflects the ethos of the cult-classic brand’s community. Mónaco’s ongoing photo series titled ‘Kids’ reflects the unbound energy that has moved the artist to adjust her practice and makes her a Converse All Star.

SLEEK: What inspired you to become a Converse All Star?

MARINA MONACO: Something that inspired me was the feeling of wanting to be connected with other artists of the world. It made me curious how a big brand wanted to support young artists to make their own thing. That’s something you don’t see often!

S: Do you have a story regarding your personal relationship with Converse sneakers?

MM: I never owned Converse sneakers until I moved here, even though I always wanted ones! Personally, I always thought of the classic Converse Chuck Taylor as a timeless nostalgic-piece that every young person has in their wardrobe. They are my favourite.

S: In your practice, you capture youth culture, how does this intertwine with the identity of Converse?

MM: So I think Converse is a big part of the youth culture’s wardrobe. Always happy to see my subjects wearing Converse! So even before I started to be part of the community, Converse was already there in my pictures by accident.

Find out more about the Converse One Star here.

Tempelhofer Feld

This spot is an ex-airport in the middle (!!!) of Berlin and 5 min walk from where I live. This is where I go when I feel I need to disconnect from the city in order to connect with myself: loud music, long walks in the wind, and my notebook in my bag. I always plan to be there for the sunset, until the blue hour so that I can watch the colours of the sky change. I find a spot in the grass in the middle of nowhere and stay in silence. It absorbs all the heavy energy inside you. I feel more alive every time I go there. Also going with friends and beers from the Späti is the best plan.

Get lost in the train stations. For example: Gorlitzer Bahnhof.

I remember visiting Berlin for the first time when I was 21, and something I was obsessed with was the train stations (I even have a photo series of them). The different colours, the gothic typographies, the photo galleries they sometimes have… Somehow they take me back to one of my favourite films, called “Christiane F: Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo” – an epic film from the late 70s with David Bowie. Even though everything has changed, I sometimes find myself travelling back in time while waiting for the next train. Berlin is so massive that getting from one place to another is an experience in itself. It’s easy to dwindle time looking out the window of the U3, walking between the graffitied buildings, getting lost, and trying to find your way again. I love it.

Warschauer Strasse Bridge during blue hour

It is a spot that has a particular energy. You see people from all over the world, hear all the languages possible. The TV tower in the background, the old trains passing underneath your feet, punks chilling there, crazy people doing weird things, the bridge fully covered in stickers, the Dogshit skatepark nearby… Sometimes I just like to stop for a few minutes and look at the landscape. There’s not a time I don’t think “Wow, I can’t believe I actually live here. This is incredible”. I still do have those moments where I remember where I come from. I just feel a lot of gratitude.

Kotti

I am a person who likes to romanticize life a lot and whenever I feel I need stimulation I always go to Kotti (this is how people call the area). I can breathe a lot of history there – it is just inevitable. Nick Cave used to live right around the corner. Then you have SO36 – a venue where Iggy Pop and David Bowie used to hang out. Plenty of bars, places to eat from all over the world, crazy people (always) around and the nostalgic train station. I always bring my analog camera with me ready to shoot an unexpected situation or a new spot stuck in time. My favourite coffee spot is Café Luzia. I always like to brainstorm for my next shoot and drink a flat white (especially in winter under the light of the candles). One of my favourite photography galleries called “f3” is nearby as well, where you can see documentary photographers.

The underground music scene venues

A place where you can always find me at night is at a small gig in a bar with my analog camera in my hand. My favourites: Kantine am Berghain, 8mm, Tennis Bar, Loophole, SO36… Discovering the emerging alternative music scene in small trashy bars, even tho I don’t speak German, made me feel more connected to the city on many levels. My favourite genres are post-punk, Neue Neue Deutsche Welle and dark wave. The scene in Germany is insanely good. It even shaped my photographic aesthetic: it went from saturated colours to black and white, grain and a lot of contrast. An aesthetic you can relate to the late 70s-early 80s. The youth expresses itself in a way that I find very inspiring. Not only the artists but also the crowd. Usually, nobody is on their phones, they’re just jumping around and enjoying the music, even if the sound system is terrible or the singer forgets the lyrics sometimes… It doesn’t matter. Mistakes are welcome. And that’s why it’s so special to me: something I’ve noticed is that in Berlin it doesn’t matter how big you are, people are happy to consume art in any way they can.

C/O Berlin: photography exhibition space

It is one of my favourite places in the world. C/O has the BEST selection of photography in Berlin (in my opinion!). I cannot go there without crying (in a good way :))) and getting goosebumps. In short, it made me realise my love for photography. My interest in documenting youth culture comes from consuming this kind of photography I found in the exhibitions. They have shaped a lot of the way I see my work and the work of others. I love spending long hours in the bookshop, taking notes on the photographers I like and buying posters for my room. I also wonder if one day I will see my pictures there. My dream is to have an exhibition one day.

C/O Berlin will host the work of Mary Ellen Mark whose photographs document our society with an emphasis on capturing marginalized communities. Focusing on the topic of how humans affect nature and subsequently climate change, the exhibition titled “Image Ecology” at C/O Berlin showcases photographs from numerous artists that radically display the consequences of our actions. Both exhibitions will run from September 16th until January 18th, 2024.

CREDITS

Photography: Claude Gerber
Styling: Quirin Emanga
Talent: Marina Mónaco