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POETIC STRATEGIES
Imagining other worlds through stories, objects, exhibitions, interiors.

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︎︎︎ June 5 – 26 Projekt Berggasse 19
an interior concept for a historical client
Alte WU, Augasse 9, 1090 Wien
CORNERS

As a mother I’ve become sensitive to sharp edges and corners in the height of my child’s head, and like many other adults, I’ve developped a reflex to cover them with my hands to avert accidents. I decided to translate these little acts of care into table accessories. The many stages of this project have seen a series of sketches, two archive tables showcasing existing corner protections and two desks produced for the exhibition “Projekt Berggasse 19” in collaboration with cabinetmaker Clemens Schmidberger, which feature hands in brass and in silver.






Image: Philipp Podesser for 24th Arts






PROJEKT BERGGASSE 19

A contemporary interior concept for a historical client
an exhibition by Alice Stori Liechtenstein and Johanna Pichlbauer commissioned by 74th Arts

Conscious of how furniture and interiors reflect a period and a state of mind, we have selected a number of contemporary pieces by Austrian and international designers to inspire a new reading of Freud and his oeuvre.

We chose the furniture and decorative objects intuitively, guided by their inherent ambiguity as objects and the diverse narratives they encapsulate. Whether rooted in historical context, echoing Freudian principles, or evoking a subtle resonance with his work, every piece invites a deeper exploration through psychoanalysis.

Against the backdrop of Freud's office, steeped in symbolism and meaning, these chosen pieces serve as catalysts for inspiration and critique. Whether one idolises Freud like Hilda Doolittle or sees him, his work, and ultimately his interior choices as a product of his time, they are a fascinating thread in the rich narrative texture of Vienna and thus worth examining through the lens of contemporary art and design.


Foto: Philipp Podesser for 74th Arts
“In the heart of Vienna, nestled within the grandeur of Berggasse 19, lies the sanctum of the mind, the inner sanctum of Sigmund Freud. Stepping into his study is like stepping into the labyrinth of the human psyche itself. The room is an embodiment of both chaos and order, a reflection of Freud's relentless quest to unravel the mysteries of the unconscious. […] In this hallowed space, Freud sits, his penetrating gaze fixed upon the mysteries of the human soul. His study is not merely a room, but a temple of the mind, a place where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur, and the true nature of existence is laid bare.”

from H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)
"Tribute to Freud”, 1956
OFFSPRING
a playable exhibition for visitors aged 0-4

What does it mean when objects are changeable and do not authoritatively command a game? How can architecture enable social encounters? What is inside and what is outside? With OFFSPRING, we created a temporary space for play for young children to get to know the works of Viennese and international designers and artists. Over 20 gloomy winter days, the exhibition welcomed more than 1000 visitors.

Works by: 
Amelie Bachfischer, Breaded Escalope, Adnan Balčinović, Alexandre Delasalle, Lisa Edi, Diego Faivre, Sarah Franzl, Kiki Furlan, Theresa Hattinger, Stefanie Högl & Mathias Borowski, Flora Lechner, Anna Lerchbaumer, Frank Maria, Johanna Pichlbauer, Stefan Reiterer, Johanna Charlotte Trede, Thomas Waidhofer


Photos: Lisa Edi
Graphic: Theresa Hattinger







THERE WILL BE!
PEOPLE!
ON THE SUN!
SOON!

My first solo exhibition at MAK was built around a frottee solar park, reflecting on the semantics of solar panels, with their patterns serving as sustainability ambassadors: What would remain of them when the white grids on a dark background are no longer technically necessary?

I showed my collection of orange papers offering a glimpse into how the food industry worships and uses the sun as advertisor, and at the same time questioning whether the friendly character might change with the advance of climate change.  

An excerpt from Stith-Thompson‘s Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, an archive of recurrent folktale narratives, showed the many roles the sun has played in different cultural and historical contexts, from “Sun hides face in shame: eclipse.” (Africa) to “Sun dries out earth with its heat.“ (Maori).

Finally, my „last sextant“, a measuring device with a reversed orientation mechanism.

I had the wonderful opportunity to surround these works with chosen objects from the fantastic collection of the museum.

Grafik: (c) Theresa Hattinger
Fotos: (c) Marlene Mautner
Sonnenuhr: (c) MAK


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Dass sich das Gestirn sehr für unsere Belange interessiert, ist unwahrscheinlich. Trotzdem können wir nicht aufhören damit, die Sonne in unsere Mythen und Märchen zu verwickeln, mit immer neuen Gesichtern, einmal Erntehelferin, einmal „terrifying and indiscriminate“, angehimmelt, ausgebuht, Kannibalin, Engel, am Rücken eines Büffels reitend.

Aus einer Vielzahl von göttlichen und profanen Charakteren kann die Sonne bei jedem Aufgang eine neue Persona wählen.

Nihil sine sole. Viele kleine Instrumente, runde, sternförmige, hohe, flache, achteckige, horizontal, vertikal, ringförmig, fein verziert – Und sie alle zählen darauf, dass die Sonne dort bleibt, wo sie ist. Weil sollte ihr je einfallen, ihren Pfad zu verlassen, uns loszulassen oder näher zu sich zu holen, müsste man mindestens alles neu kalibrieren.




Sonne des Südens. Die Sonne verteilt ihre Energie nicht gleichmäßig über die Erde. Deswegen wird sie im süßen Fruchtfleisch der Orangen gespeichert in den Norden verschickt. Lauter kleine Sonnen, um die Tage länger zu machen.
„But, from the sun,
a strange radiance
streamed,
and forgetting
all formalities,
I sat chatting
with the luminary
more freely.”

(from An Extraordinary Adventure Which Befell Vladimir Mayakovksy In A Summer Cottage, Vladimir Mayakovsky)

STADT DER TEMPERAMENTE
for MAK Wien and wien 3420

A smart building in Wien Aspern accomodates four very different characters - conflict inevitable. Scenes from a smart neighbourhood, in a play written for Vienna Biennale 2019.

with Mia Meus

︎ Current Exhibition
showroom 3420 aspern
"Everything could be oh so simple if people were to behave a bit more like I expect them to. But this house is just unpredictable..." Mrs. Volt, private power plant owner, prioritises prognosis over people and loves graphs and figures. She’s one of four characters of “Stadt der Temperamente”.

Building a new city part out of nowhere is a huge chance – to think about the ways inhabitants interact with their city and each other, to critically reflect on the effects new technology has on the quality of living, and to observe how people use, misuse and refuse smart home systems. In order to make the extensive research conducted by ASCR in Aspern publically accessible to a broader audience, we decided to wrap it in a story – a story that everybody could relate to, because we’ve all been through neighbourly troubles and have maybe even had a little crush on the new tenant on floor 1.

Loosely based on Nestroy's farce "Das Haus der Temperamente", in which four families with different temperaments inhabit an apartment building, "Stadt der Temperamente" (City of Temperaments) tells the story of four inhabitants of a smart building in aspern Seestadt, who get caught up in conflicts due to their different habits and expectations about what it means to live “smart”. In four colours and on four floors, the designers play with the absurd, they charge artificial intelligence with passion, driving it to extremes and thus into the chaos of tomorrow’s smart togetherness. The play was performed on July 5 and 6 at the Flederhaus in Vienna Aspern, Seestadt, as part of the MAK Biennale 2019.
©Johanna Pichlbauer