Singapore. Don’t talk about architecture

The first edition of what is intended to turn into a bi-annual architecture conference, is named after a quote from Swiss architect Le Corbusier. “I don’t want to talk about architecture” he famously stated. “Lets Not Talk About Architecture”, taking place from the 2 – 4 of August, will explore the theme, by attempting to circumvent it.  The event, targeting a rising generation of young architects, has been organized by members of the Modern Asian Architecture Network (mAAN). Read the rest of this entry »

How to look good in the Supermarket

It’s official – summer in the northern hemisphere (that’s where most of you live) is almost over & our brains are gearing up for crispy mornings, goulash suppers, woolies, gloves and the onslaught of the dreaded Christmas shop -  STOP right there – time to take a last minute breather…. Read the rest of this entry »

Where do we go from here?

Secession, Vienna

“Where do we go from here?” A lot like the statement “Everything is going to be alright,” how that question is understood and reacted to will say a lot about the person reading it; the optimists will be separated out from the pessimists very quickly.

Read the rest of this entry »

London. V&A Summer Camp

If you’re design minded, or just want to have a great night out, this Friday head to the V & A (Victoria and Albert) Museum in London.  Both the Architects Build Small Spaces and the Grace Kelly exhibition will be open until 22:00 on the evening of July 30th, and the museum will be celebrating the first V&A Summer Camp. Read the rest of this entry »

Vienna. Street Art Gets Philosophical

As street art rises higher and higher into the echelons of fine art, more museums and institutions are viewing it as a vital part of their contemporary collections. Street art exhibitions still have a huge draw, and with this year’s release of Banksy’s intriguing “Exit Through the Gift Shop” the validity of “real” street art was put under the microscope.

If you travel with knowing eyes, you’re bound to spot some of renowned street artists’ work in any major city, but in Vienna, you can cut straight to the chase.  In 2008 one of the intrinsic characters of Banksy’s film, a French street artist known as Invader, created a permanent, site specific installation on the bridge from the Spittelberg to the Museum Quartier in Vienna.  This was the first step in the development of Beton Blumen (concrete art) in Vienna’s street art scene.

A rotating program of international street artists, which in the past included the likes of Dome, Fefe Talavera, and Ripo, are invited to participate in the project. Multimedia American artist Brad Downey is the latest artist to be showing in the Beton Blumen passage.  Downey teamed up with Phillipp Teuchtler, a well-known Viennese street art collector, to explore the sense of ownership in anonymous street works.  The majority of Teuchtler’s collection is unsigned, taken from the street and without commercial value.  However, the question must be raised – does Teuchtler really hold ownership over these pieces? By collecting them as items of worth he negates their purpose, turning works of public display into a collection for personal pleasure.

Downey accessed Teuchtler’s collection, and together they chose 12 anonymous works.  The artist then signed the works, giving a formerly valueless item monetary worth as well as re -appropriating the original intention of the artwork.  The concept will strike some as surprisingly heady for what many view as defacement, plain and simple, but then again, the debate is part of the beauty of art forms on the rise.

Vienna’s Museum Quarter, and the Beton Blumen Street Art Passage are less than 10 minutes via public transit from White Line member hotel Hollmann Beletage.  Hollmann Beletage has a hint of the avant-garde and the sense of humour to go with it.

You can form your own opinion on Downey’s work through the end of September; we’d love to hear what you think (leave us a comment).  Pick up a copy of the Downey designed Beton Blumen magazine from any number of museum shops, and, if you’re up for purchasing some of the work, check out their auction, held just once a year. www.betonblumen.org

—

Categories: Vienna, Art, Culture, Events

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter