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Fresh Fish from the Architect Pool - Graz 03 Young Graz Architecture Initiatives Opening: Wednesday, Mai 07, 2003, 07:00 pm Exhibition: May 08 - May 26, 2003 Opening Hours: Daily 10:00 am - 07:00 pm, Wednesday 10:00 am - 09:00 pm Press Release GRAZ 2003 - Young Graz Architecture Initiatives, guest appearance at the Az W: As the European cultural capital, Graz is at the centre of the artistic and cultural life of Europe for a year. Spectacular architecture projects like the new Kunsthaus arts centre or the island on the Mur River are omnipresent. But architecture is also happening well beyond the media hype. Reason enough for the Architekturzentrum Wien to focus on Graz with the Young Graz Architecture Initiatives. "Fresh Fish From The Architect Pool" (Frische Fische aus dem Architektenpool) is a show of young architect groups which is designed as an exhibition tour. Beginning with an opening exhibition in the Styrian Autumn festival of new art 2002 it stops off at various Austrian and international institutions of architecture in the course of the year 2003 to then return to Graz in the form of a resumé. It conveys specific qualities of the architects working in teams today, standing by the tradition of the Graz School of Architecture in their dedication, yet fundamentally differing from it in their mode of working. The aim of this exhibition is twofold: on the one hand to convey these specifics to the general public and on the other hand to reinforce contact among the groups and strengthen their awareness of the necessity of a unified image. Participating Groups: A-TRACT - the architecture [collaboration] network balloon dreiplus get_ heri&salli INNOCAD ko a la KP. Kitchen Police l.o.v.e architecture and urbanism Machné & Durig Architekten n-o-m-a-d noncon:form ortlos architects Peter Ebner and friends purpur.cc SPLITTERWERK su.n (spaceunitnetwork) Supernett Architects Transparadiso urban-filter.com x architekten xarch Graz School of Architecture: A Look Back Talking about the architecture scene today, the term "Graz School of Architecture" inevitably springs to mind - a term which has been analyzed and discussed for the last 20 years and stands for a group of dedicated architects, who, thanks to a benevolent political framework, succeeded in realizing internationally acclaimed buildings, which, in the beginning, were situated mostly in Styria. The term "school" was misleading, though, as the proponents of this scene did not in any way feel bound to a particular architectural style or notion, but, quite on the contrary, encouraged by their joint activities in the classroom for drawing at Graz Technical University, broke with the traditional architectural establishment. This succession of generations took place in such a radical way that the architecture which had been created immediately before was just about forgotten. The rapid change, the high number of realized projects (especially residential buildings), and the formal mannerism which was soon to become a characteristic of many buildings were probably unique in the German-speaking countries and attracted international attention. Representatives of the Graz School were quite individualistic personalities who pursued their own visions of architecture and did not really foster discourse or contact among each other. The complex connections of those developments are commented on, among other publications, in the following exhibition catalogs: Architektur aus Graz, 1981 (Architecture from Graz) - with a preface by Friedrich Achleitner. Architektur - Investitionen. Grazer Schule. 13 Standpunkte, 1984 (Architecture - Investments. Graz School of Architecture. 13 Viewpoints. Third edition with a preface by Dietmar Steiner, 1986). Standpunkte "94, 1994 (Viewpoints "94) - with a preface by Falk Jaeger. Architektur in Graz 1980-1990 (Architecture in Graz 1980-1990, with a preface by Dietrich Ecker, second edition 1992). Current Situation Now that the scene lost some of its dynamics in the course of the 90"s, a further generation succession is about to take place in Graz today, and the only thing the new generation has in common with the so-called Graz School is its beginnings at Graz Technical University. In contrast to the heroic lone cowboys of the 70"s and 80"s, today"s architects prefer to work in groups and teams, allowing them to produce architectures under completely new aspects. Instead of one creative head there now are group structures which unite the skills and economic potential of several people, thus enabling an utterly novel approach to the development of architecture. Furthermore, the impression prevails that communicating with the world outside is gaining importance as an integral part of the group identity, and an interdisciplinary supply of additional services may be the answer to the changing economic conditions. Exhibition: The concept The selection criteria for participating are team organization and, similar to the first exhibition, connections with Graz (e.g. studies, close contacts, professional activity etc.). Thus already the exhibition concept itself manifests the openness and wide-ranging interlinkage of this new generation of architects and guarantees that visitors will gain a deep insight in the architectural offspring"s ways of working. "Frische Fische aus dem Architektenpool - Graz 03" ("Fresh Fish from the Architect Pool - Graz 03") is no work display of the usual kind but instead provides a forum for the participating teams to make statements on their way of working, international influences or their respective group names in the form of environments, 3-D presentations , using electronic media and the like. The discussion about the following questions formed the basis for developing the exhibits: - How do the ideas of the team materialize? - What are the decisive influences and to what degree do international debates on architecture affect the works? - Which subject matter determines architectural thinking? - How are the theoretical approaches reflected in the completed projects? - To what extent does the group name accurately represent the programme (content, mode of working, product)? An integral part of the specifications for the exhibits is that they be transportable. Thus every object will consist of a "shell," a "core," and "setup instructions": The "shell" itself - which is a kind of packaging created individually by the exhibition participants - will be the centerpiece of the presentation during the Styrian Autumn 2002 festival of new art. The actual exhibit, the "core," will be unfolded at different venues according to the "setup instructions" while the exhibition is on tour. These single parts are to develop their very own aesthetic qualities and thus offer a complex and stimulating insight into the way architecture is conceived and interpreted by the young scene. Publication A comprehensive brochure in English and German language is available at the Az W-Shop. (retail price 5.- EURO) Curators: Mabel Altmann, Markus Bogensberger, Karin Hubmer, Andreas Strohriegel Coordination Az W: Michael Diem, Kerstin Gust Organiser / Information: ARGE Loft Kernstockgasse 16/7 A- 8020 Graz Austria Tel: ++43 316 760 431 Fax: ++43 316 760 441 info@ARGE-Loft.org |
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Press page Current events Past events Gallery: Images of the Exhibition Dates: Fresh Fish from the Architect Pool - Graz 03 Information: Ines Purtauf Tel.: +43 (1) 522 31 15 - 25 Fax: +43 (1) 522 31 17 Email: purtauf@azw.at |
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