Trail Studies – Exhibition in Dürnstein

The exhibition on hiking and cycling trails took place in the multi-purpose hall in the municipality of Dürnstein. The hall, located near the railway station, bus stop, car park and grocery store, is the starting and ending point for many hikes through the Wachau region. The exhibition opened on 17 October and remained open to visitors for the following two weekends.

The exhibition presented artistic and landscape architectural perspectives on paths through the Wachau landscape. Artistic films expanded the view of the landscape through experimental arrangements of mirrors, cameras and the direction of movement. Irrigation systems and protective nets from the vineyards were staged sculpturally in the exhibition, thematising the agricultural use of the paths. A hiking map presented sequential scenic and historical details along a trail, which can now be explored independently. The complexity of perceptions while walking was translated into graphic notations and represented in scores. Musician Martin Gut interpreted these scores of paths around Dürnstein instrumentally. His performance linked the exhibition to the regular use of the multipurpose hall for music lessons. The exhibition was complemented by drawings by students and recordings made during a bike tour with helmet cameras.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the municipality of Dürnstein and Gerda Koller for their hospitality and support. As in previous years, the Lower Austrian State Department of Art and Culture / Art in the Public Space (KOERNOE) provided us with the ‘Inventour Bus’. Graphic designer Karin Holzfeind created folders for the exhibition contributions.