Located right next to the Wachau Road, the Georg Prunner Square in Emmersdorf provided the perfect setting for our presentation of the first results of our Road Studies. The public space served us as an exhibition space and open-air cinema until the evening hours. At the central town square we were able to present our micro-exhibition and short films.
Four folders illustrating the creation, design and perception of the Wachau Road were presented, exhibited and distributed to the visitors. Aerial images of the Wachau showed traffic routes as an integral part of the landscape. The exhibition opened up new perspectives on the everyday traffic route. For some visitors, memories of the construction period of the Wachau Road were awakened. Over bread and wine, visitors shared their personal connection to the Wachau Road with us.
At nightfall, the short films were screened: phantom rides with experimental recording techniques allowed us to experience the relationship between time, speed and landscape perception. Another film contribution recorded in slow motion the overtourism in the Wachau Region. Herbert Ursprunger, the landscape architect of Wachau Road, also laid out and designed Georg Prunner Square in the 1950s. An interview with him was presented as a short film. The informative and entertaining film document was complemented by artistically reworked photos. Although the exhibition was only of short duration, we have left our mark.
We would like to thank Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Niederösterreich (Public Art Lower Austria) and in particular Johanna Reiner for complementing our exhibition with the Inventour-Bus. Special thanks to the staff and Richard Hochratner, mayor of the municipality of Emmersdorf, for their great support and hospitality.
Rail and bike tour
/in Railway Studies/by Daniela LehnerThe Wachau Railway is characterised by the fact that it runs through historic town centres and along rock faces. Narrow and wide spaces alternate along the route. This creates interesting spatial sequences, which we explored by train and bike. The alignment along the steep rock formations of the Bohemian Massif also presents challenges. Like sculptures, individual protective structures appear along the railway line. As aesthetic elements, they add a new layer to the existing railway-related structures such as tunnels and bridges. Equipped with cameras and a drone, we documented the engineering works along the railway, most of which serve to protect against falling rocks.
Drawing Wachau
/in General/by Roland TuschArtists discovered the beauty of the Wachau as early as the 19th century and depicted it in drawings and paintings. With the Wachau Routes project, we are taking up the culture of artistic engagement with the Wachau. Art and landscape meet. Students from the University of Arts Linz together with students of Landscape Architecture at BOKU University drew in Spitz at the beginning of June. The focus was on the railway. The narrow railway line, which runs through the town in elevated position, and the wide surroundings of the railway station form a contrast in terms of space. Both situations provided interesting motifs for the drawings. Photos and short videos were taken during the trip on the Wachau railway. The numerous drawings are valuable contributions to the multi-perspective image of the Wachau transport landscape.
Test recordings in the State Archives
/in Railway Studies/by Daniela LehnerDuring our research in the Austrian State Archives, we came across a plan of the project for the Wachau Railway. The hand-drawn and coloured plan by Rudolf Mayreder from 1904 can be unfolded to a remarkable 25 m in length. The alignment on the plan was filmed in initial test shots. They serve for the development of an elaborate system for artistic recordings of the historical plan document.
Heritage Science Café
/in Events/by Roland TuschAt the end of May, Heritage Science Austria organised the Heritage Science Café at BOKU together with ICOMOS Austria, the Vienna University of Technology and BOKU University. Daniela Lehner and Roland Tusch presented the Wachau Routes project and discussed challenges and opportunities of arts-based research in their lecture. Arts-based research offers the opportunity to question traditional research approaches and initiate open-ended processes. Artistic works are open to interpretation and contribute to a holistic understanding of the object of investigation. Following the lecture programme, a lively exchange took place among the participants. We discussed the potential of arts-based research with researchers from various disciplines, for example in the context of inventories of cultural landscapes.
Symposium on mobility and apricot blossom
/in Railway Studies/by Roland TuschThis year, we combined our site visit in spring with attending a symposium at the University for Continuing Education Krems. At the event entitled “Wachau mobility with innovation and tradition”, the opportunities and potential of the Wachau Railway were discussed. How can the railway, which is currently mainly used for tourism, become attractive for commuters again? The speakers covered a wide range of topics, from the history of the Wachau Railway to the challenges of increasing frequency and year-round operation. Topics such as safety at railway crossings, accessibility and monument protection were discussed. An important goal for the future is the emission-free operation of the railway. International speakers and examples from other federal states contextualised the Wachau Railway. The symposium discussed the role of the Wachau Railway as a means of transport for the post-fossil society and thus complemented the topics of Wachau Routes.
We travelled through the Wachau on a special train. The apricot orchards were already in full bloom. Looking through the windows of the moving train, the details in the foreground become blurred and the landscape merges into a panorama. The hillside track in a slightly elevated position offers a good view of the Danube valley.
Advisory Board Meeting
/in General/by Roland TuschThis year’s meeting of the Advisory Board took place at BOKU and was held as a hybrid meeting. We presented our results of the Road Studies and an outlook on the Railway Studies. The Railway Studies will provide another perspective and expand the research on the transport routes through the Wachau. The Board gave positive feedback on the extensive research and results of the Road Studies and emphasised the complexity of the research. The videos and folders are valuable outputs that are also available on this website. In particular, the folders were recognised as a useful tool for documenting the results and are to be expanded into a series in the future. Further work will focus on the changing perception of transport routes using artistic and scientific methods. The perspectives of different users, such as tourists and commuters, will be addressed more intensively. The Wachau Railway is also popular with cycle tourists, which is already a starting point for the Trail Studies in the coming year.
Winter trip on the Wachau Railway
/in Railway Studies/by Daniela LehnerDuring the winter months, the Wachau Railway stops operating. For our winter visit, we thus rely on the tourist programme: on weekends during Advent, the train runs on a reduced route from Krems to Dürnstein. Our journey aims to document what can be seen of the landscape in the dark and especially in motion. We film and take photos from the moving train. The reflections in the windows of the train intensify as dusk falls. Inside and outside merge. The panorama of the left overlaps with the one of the right, creating fascinating kaleidoscopic effects. The ten-minute train ride takes us through various sections: vast vineyards and urban density, narrow valleys with mesh-covered cliffs, planted but leafless stretches reveal new views of the Danube valley. In Dürnstein, we encounter fewer visitors than expected. Just a couple of groups stroll through the illuminated, car-free town centre, while most of them are at the Christmas market. The journey back to Krems is like travelling in a sealed-off capsule. Inside a brightly lit railcar, we pass through the dark landscape and can only catch a few points of light in the surrounding area.
Online article in ‘Niederösterreichische Nachrichten’
/in Media reports/by Daniela LehnerThe presentation of the initial findings of the Road Studies in Emmersdorf was covered by Philipp Haunschmid in his article ‘Architecture meets art in Emmersdorf’.
Architektur trifft in Emmersdorf Kunst, NÖN.at
Architektur trifft in Emmersdorf Kunst
Source: https://www.noen.at/melk/treffpunkt-architektur-trifft-in-emmersdorf-kunst-389713033, © NÖN
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Wachau Routes – exhibition next to the Wachau Road
/in Events/by Daniela LehnerLocated right next to the Wachau Road, the Georg Prunner Square in Emmersdorf provided the perfect setting for our presentation of the first results of our Road Studies. The public space served us as an exhibition space and open-air cinema until the evening hours. At the central town square we were able to present our micro-exhibition and short films.
Four folders illustrating the creation, design and perception of the Wachau Road were presented, exhibited and distributed to the visitors. Aerial images of the Wachau showed traffic routes as an integral part of the landscape. The exhibition opened up new perspectives on the everyday traffic route. For some visitors, memories of the construction period of the Wachau Road were awakened. Over bread and wine, visitors shared their personal connection to the Wachau Road with us.
At nightfall, the short films were screened: phantom rides with experimental recording techniques allowed us to experience the relationship between time, speed and landscape perception. Another film contribution recorded in slow motion the overtourism in the Wachau Region. Herbert Ursprunger, the landscape architect of Wachau Road, also laid out and designed Georg Prunner Square in the 1950s. An interview with him was presented as a short film. The informative and entertaining film document was complemented by artistically reworked photos. Although the exhibition was only of short duration, we have left our mark.
We would like to thank Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Niederösterreich (Public Art Lower Austria) and in particular Johanna Reiner for complementing our exhibition with the Inventour-Bus. Special thanks to the staff and Richard Hochratner, mayor of the municipality of Emmersdorf, for their great support and hospitality.
Invitation: Short films and micro exhibition in Emmersdorf
/in Events/by TeamWhat is the image of the Wachau that corresponds to the contemporary understanding of landscape? This is the question the interdisciplinary team is asking itself from the perspectives of art and landscape architecture in a four-year research project. Last year, the Wachaustraße was put under the microscope. The first results will be presented in Emmersdorf.
Friday, October 6, 2023, 5 p.m.
Georg Prunner Square, Emmersdorf
from 18:30 Short films