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

Design Research
Design Fiction & Speculative Design
Social Design
Curation
Creative Consultancy
Exhibition & Interior Design
ON NOW

︎︎︎ AUT NOW
18.9.2024—18.5.2025 MAK Contemporary 
︎︎︎ CODING 
20.9.-29.9.2024
Design in Gesellschaft
Engerthstraße 124, 1200 Wien



 
Fairytale:
KING GAFA
AND THE MAGICAL ZERO-ONE CROP


King GAFA and the Magical 0-1 Crop is a modern fairy tale about privacy in the digital age. Charming yet unsparing, it shows who makes the rules and how different groups, from politicians — the elders — to the simple farmer, from the hermit in the Dark Forest to the data broker, are entangled with each other. The fairy tale questions our online habits and invites us to participate in the discourse around “digital sovereignty”. The project aims to explore the great potential of design as a tool for promoting more democracy, making complex content accessible and exciting for a broad target group, and empowering enlightened, informed citizens to stand up for their rights.

The book is based on the project and animated fairy tale by: Johanna Pichlbauer, Fabio Hofer, Felix Lenz, Jekaterina Shipilenko
Author and editor of the book: Johanna Pichlbauer
Illustration: Johanna Pichlbauer, Jekaterina Shipilenko
Art direction and design: Maša Poljanec, Ivana Borovnjak
Print: Kerschoffset

August 2024, English
17 x 23,5 cm, 124 pages, 300 copies
Offset, soft cover
ISBN 978-953-8369-23-0

︎ Karla Jurić

︎ King GAFA – The Book is out! Send me a note if you would like to buy it or buy it online here: http://oazabooks.com/
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


︎  read more!





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)

©Johanna Pichlbauer