There were also the inevitable instances of the done-to-death, the pseudo-intellectual, and the irritating. One German fellow had placed a piece of modern art in various parts of Berlin and photographed it, presumably in homage to the dozens of other people who did it first. And yet another American presented a story he had written, accompanied by various slides of an apple in various states of decay. My thought process went something like this:
Hmmm, the plot seems to have kind of a film noir kind of thing going on. Something about a robbery… Max and Rheinhold seem not to be getting along… someone falling in love with a prostitute… I’m finding this a bit hard to follow; perhaps it’s because I’m busy taking notes… wait, the guy’s arm was just amputated? Wasn’t his amputated arm referenced earlier in the story? Wait, wait, wait – the apple is getting less moldy with each new slide, isn’t it… that must… OH GOD I UNDERSTAND NOW THE STORY IS BEING TOLD IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL SEGMENTS I WISH I WAS DEAD OR SOMEWHERE ELSE.
After a while, the presentations came to a close, and we were led to the 7th floor for a very swell little after-party with a DJ and free drinks. Also on hand were some very nice appetizers involving shrimp served on little bread things with cheese and spinach. I ate perhaps eight or nine of these and was very satisfied with the world and its workings.
