2018—A year in Review - Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden (FvF)

2018—A year in Review

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2018—A year in Review

A recap of the year’s best stories from FvF—follow along and revisit those special moments with us, Berlin

This year has led us to think beyond our own interests and immediate surroundings.

December is a time to reflect. For us this means a look back at the stories we’ve told and the direction we’re taking. For almost a decade we’ve portrayed creatives in their personal environments, but FvF has grown and evolved—and so has what we want to stand for. Though creative narratives continue to shape our platform—many of which belong to our partnerships with international clients—we also strive to seek the people and places beyond our immediate friends and their friends. Personal identity, urbanism, and innovation in the arts were topics we explored and continue to return to.

Veering off in new tangents doesn’t come without questions asked, and so we continue to challenge our identity, our vision, and our intentions—a journey we invite you to embark on with us for more insightful stories and perspectives and, ultimately, for more engaging content for you to discover and enjoy.

Places we visited:

Our favorite features

While FvF Productions has evolved into a full-fledged production agency, we also continue to produce stories off the branded radar. Those stories included talking all things Afrofuturism and the need for human-centered governance with politician and activist Ingrid LaFleur in Detroit; in San Diego, we explored eco-futurist concepts with ‘infradisciplinary’ artist and researcher Pinar Yoldas whose work asks grand questions about mankind’s place within ecosystems and the future of life as we know it. In Brooklyn, we took an intimate tour inside the infamous artist community at 475 Kent and spoke with the remaining tenants as they banded together to save this iconic address after two decades of gentrification.

Many of our protagonists feel that identity has little to do with the place they were born in, rather that a sense of belonging is always multidimensional. Syrian dancer Medhat Aldabaal taught us how dance allows him to express inner conflicts and his narrative of home; the three founders of Azeema Magazine let us in on how their print and online platform not only aids the exploration of their heritage but gives room to unheard female voices in the Middle East and North Africa; DJ, producer, and singer Nabihah Iqbal talked to us about shaking off the expectations of what it means to be an Asian-British artist.

Our collaborative stories

Our storytelling style has always attracted the attention of like-minded brands and we’re excited to see who we’ll partner up with next. This year, we continued our long-standing relationship with MINI, Sonos, Siemens, and Weleda while re-joining forces with &Tradition, Ace & Tate, and Closed.

The Sooner Now

At home in Berlin, The Sooner Now reminded us of the power of making and group participation. The full-day festival at the Friends Space brought together a diverse range of artists, architects, and researchers to debate a circular economy, public design processes, and urban identities, among many other topics that not only affect the future of urban living, but challenge the status quo of our society as a whole. These narratives have taught us that nothing exists in a vacuum, that we have to push boundaries and blur the lines in order to progress.

Companion Magazine

This year, the periodical that chronicles culture and the individuals shaping our cities has taken us inside Düsseldorf’s Japanese community and to the remote island Reunion and let us reignite the dazzle of a roaring era with a tour of West Berlin.

FvF in motion

As part of our new collaboration with Manufactum, we glimpsed into the daily life of designer Ruth Bartlett who reminded us of how important rituals are to maintain a balanced lifestyle.

Events

The FvF Friends Space is the physical manifestation of our digital platform: The design-driven space facilitates forward-thinking ideas, creating room for synergy between the arts, journalism, and corporate culture. Highlights this year included our full-day festival as part of The Sooner Now, having our friends from music collective Einhundert over, and seeing the incredibly talented Noah Slee perform songs from his most recent album.

Most liked Instagram pictures

FOMO had us spend a lot of time on our phones again this year, with Instagram being our most used app. Now we hand the stage over to our readers who have clicked and scrolled for their most liked pictures.

TOP FvF Loves

Our Favorite Photographers

Quality photography is our bag—and this year we’ve collaborated with some great photographers, among them our in-house photographer Robert Rieger.

Our favorite mixtapes

The year wraps up and people crunch the numbers on how long they streamed music, how often they played a single track, how many shows they went to. Every month, select friends and artists take a minute to compile a list of their favorite tunes for FvF. Highlights in 2018 were:

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