Low density settlements are central to European national identities, from the English hamlet with thatched roofs and WI meetings, to Austrian alpine villages, nestled in the mountains. They represent ways of life which for the most part no longer exist, retreats into the past which become romanticised with time and modern sewage management.
Accompanying the exhibition Our Way[s] of Life this event will explore varied aspects of quaint history: from Daniela Grabosch’s dark Google Maps journey though Mussolini’s lakeside seat of governance, Salò, now a popular tourist destination, to Martin Krenn’s archival exploration of Austria’s heart via the Open-Air Museum Stübing, a settlement of 97 historic rural buildings from different federal states, and a performance by Calvin Z. Laing, touching upon Scottish linguistics and his youth, growing up in suburbs of Edinburgh. Collectively these artists reflect upon our propensity to both memorialise the village and to carry an idealised version of it forward into our cultural subconscious.
