150.041 / space & design strategies
Wintersemester 2023
Vortragende: Christina Gruber, Mag.art. MSc.

Danubian
Wetlands

— or a Cyborg Environment

In this course, we will devote our attention to the watery, aquatic side of Linz and how different uses shaped its bodies of water throughout the centuries.

Further on we will try to unfold different artistic research strategies to map/archive this diverse environment. We will examine principles of ecosystem assessment, hydrofeminist approaches and acoustic ecology to create our own Watery Archive.

The reference table.

Fuego (top image)
Venice and its lagoons (bottom image)

The collage „Venice and its Lagoons“ takes a critical look at the issue of mass tourism in Venice. The arrangement of images and symbols draws attention to the overload and the negative effects that the excessive flow of visitors has on the environment, the local culture and the quality of life of the locals. The use of shell bioplastics can serve as a metaphor for the vulnerable ecosystems endangered by mass tourism. Overall, the collage invites the viewer to reflect on the impact of mass tourism on Venice and to explore ways in which the city and its lagoons can be preserved.

The collage „Fuego“ represents the fusion of paper and biomaterials that explores the theme of fire. The use of bioplastic made with ashes creates a unique texture and visual depth that captures the destructive power of fire as well as its transformative nature. The combination of organic materials and traditional paper elements creates a dynamic tension in the artwork, while the ash acts as a symbol of transience and new beginnings. The collage invites the viewer to reflect on the duality of fire - its destructive power and its role as a source of warmth and renewal.

Elisabeth Perez, 2023
#1, Collage out of biomaterials (shells) and paper cuttings

Name, year
#2, XYZ

Titel

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Bodies of water as cultural landscapes
& the beaver

Moving water is powerful. But concrete is sometimes more powerful. Straight channels replace meandering rivers in marshlands. The marsh dies, the houses stay (mostly) dry. Why did we think that we can force the water to go where we want it to? Why didn’t we build our homes and transportation systems in alignment with the shifting of the tides and streams? Maybe we want to live in the illusion that strong natural forces can be controlled and predicted. A feeling of false security, of stability. The only certain thing is that the earth’s crust will keep on moving beneath our feet and that the water will find its way.

Viktoria Hauser, 2024
drawing, photography & mixed media collage with collected cut wood from site research

Anastasia Kraus, 2024
#4, field recording

Listening Comprehension

„Listening comprehension encompasses the multiple processes involved in understanding and making sense of spoken language. These include recognizing speech sounds, understanding the meaning of individual words, and/or understanding the syntax of sentences in which they are presented.” (Springer Link)

Listening to the sound of an environment is a way to appreciate a space. It’s a way to connect with a space, communicate with a space and learn from a space. We live in a visual culture where the dimension of sound is not paid much attention to. The public soundscape is like a big wasteland where everyone can dump their noisy trash.

Who does the public soundspace belong to? Who makes the decisions what we hear and what not? Does a city have a voice? Does a forest have a voice? Does a river have a voice?

This project investigates the language of a river. The image shows a voiceprint of the Rodl, close to the spot where it enters the Danube. You can hear the sounds of the riverbank and the play of the water around a small stone that sticks out of the water. In the background you hear the sound of a nearby dam.

Schwimmholz des Traunsee

Die Geschichte beginnt im wunderschönen Salzkammergut. Es war der erste Tag als es in Gmunden schneite. Die Landschaft war an gezuckert und trotzdem war es noch herbstlich.


Am Traunsee fanden Hannes und Ich den ersten Ort für unser Projekt BEST BEFORE_ , nämlich einen Wasserfall der direkt in den Traunsee mündete.


Das Besondere an diesen Wasserfall ist, dass er nur dann erscheint, wenn es viel regnet. Jedoch konnten wir nicht ohne diesen Baumstamm ans andere Ufer gelangen können. Er war unsere Brücke, die uns stützte.

Anna Proißl, 2023
#5, Schwemmholz

Gaia Tovaglia Year, 2024
#6, pencils on paper, video with sound 1’12’’

The River Oxymoron

“Isn’t it absurd to create borders to a flow? To stop the water and define a wall? The river is a continuous flux an unstoppable power that We, human animals are trying to control. And here a question Comes to my mind… where is the limit? Isn’t it an oxymoron to think of borders an a river? To stop animals on their natural flow? To have to create new paths to let the little fishes Flow when they encounter a border? A dam?”

A personal reflection on the absurdity of the control of human animals on nature. On the fact of creating borders inside something (the river) that should flow without any problems and let the living beings inside of it live their normal cycles of life.

Abdruck

We live in a world in which almost everything is available in abundance, consumer goods are interchangeable, consumed, wasted and endlessly reproduced. We copy, duplicate and suffocate in interchangeable products.

But a look at nature shows me something else.

A tree is made up of countless individual pieces, every blade of grass in a meadow is different from the one next to it. There are no two identical snowflakes. Every element in nature has a unique pattern (Abdruck).

Hannes Wizany, 2024
#7, Paper, Wood, Laser Cut

Name, year
#8, XYZ

Titel

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Donau Wasser

5 liters of Danube water in the container relates to the ability to collect, store and present water. Water is a united structure, but we still separate it, categorize it depending on its quality and location.

How different is Danube water from any other river water?And what would be the best way to collect water?

Separated part of Danube in a 5 liter container. Reference to the real thing.

Margarita Ivanova, 2023
#9,

Name, year
#10, XYZ

Titel

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Titel

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Name, year
#11, XYZ

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