Studio Nordlicht started in 2019 in a flat on Bahrenfelder Straße that had been standing empty for two years. We sanded the floor ourselves, kept the old radiators, and put in nothing that could not be carried up two flights of stairs.

The idea was simple and has not changed: classes small enough that the teacher knows what your left knee did last week. Twelve mats fit in the room. We have never tried to fit thirteen.