Blogger Interview 1: Alain Bieber (REBEL:ART)

This Summer we present a series of short interviews here on Pop-Up City. We invited a number of our favorite bloggers to answer six questions not only about their passion for blogging, but also their city, work experience and inspiration. The result is a collection of stories on blogs and the people behind them. We kick off with an interview with Alain Bieber, the man behind the German blog REBEL:ART. REBEL:ART showcases a mixture of urban culture, activism and street art.

When and why did you start blogging?
“I started blogging in December 2006 — and yeah, I’m still addicted to it! REBEL:ART started as a print magazine about art and activism, but after releasing the first issue I was completely broke and it took me one year to pay all my debts back. I did not wanted to let die this project because of money problems, so I decided to change it into a blog.”

How would you label yourself?
“Connecting art and activism.”

What does your typical day look like?
“Today blogging is only a hobby I can do in the evening or on the weekend. I am working as a project manager for the European cultural television channel ARTE, working on the new artist network ARTE Creative. In my typical day I am sitting in my office and try to push this project forward, find new partners, new artists, develop new formats, develop the website, promote the content, work on cross-media projects, etc., and in the evening I am scrolling through my RSS feeds and blogging a bit to relax and stay in touch with my friends.”

Which spot(s) would you recommend to a first-time visitor of your city?
“I just moved from Hamburg in Germany to Strasbourg in France. But the first thing I am doing in a new city is going where the art is — to openings of art schools, artist studios, nice art spaces (this one, or this one, J.B.) or directly meet some street artists, because nobody knows a city better then your local street artists. In Hamburg: in the evening do not miss the Golden Pudel Club and at noontime go to Karoviertel/Schanzenviertel to have a drink/snack.”

What is your top 3 of favorite online sources of inspiration?
“No top 3, have a look at my blogroll on the right — I love ‘em all.”

What shoes do you wear?
“Nice question! I am wearing fancy, colourful and supertrendy sneakers — not. I don’t really care… I wear discreet, monochrome shoes, without logo or anti-logo.”

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