E I S B E R G F R E I S T A D T: Kahn Selesnick are currently working on a new project, “Eisbergfreistadt” The creation of this principality was inspired by an actual incident in 1923 when a mammoth iceberg ran aground in the Baltic port of Lubeck, towering over the town and terrifying the populace. Many decided (not unreasonably) that the ice caps were melting and the apocalypse coming. This event inspired gloomy cafe songs and penny dreadfuls, even a deck of playing cards (see below).



N O T G E L D: many notgeld and inflationary currencies were issued for the Eisbergfreistadt. Manifestos were published, and posters put up declaring the new state’s ideals, citizenship requirements etc. products started appearing: butter, lard, chocolate (of surprisingly high quality) etc, all stamped with the Eisbergfreistadt logo. Although the creation of the Eisbergfreistadt is an actual historical incident, it is not clear to what extent it ever actually existed.



The celestial city depicted on the iceberg seems to owe as much to the spires of Friedrich, as to the halls of valhalla - it is a place built by rilkean angels, too perfect for human reality, that can only be intuited by the artist. the worldly goods of the Stadt are therefore in the context of a cruel joke (“you take art and I'll take spam.”). Interestingly, these apocalyptic fears proved prophetic - lubeck was the first german city to be fire-bombed in world war 2 - and, despite being rebuilt, is in danger of flooding due to global warming.