Report on the kick-off in Graz of the three part conference series SLO ITA AUT, at January 16, 2009.
How do you design a 1000 m2 loft on the top floor of a shopping centre so that an eccentric art collector can drive past his exhibits in his car?
How can you make a wind park and its landscape environment melt into harmonious co-existence?
How could you adapt an existing trade fair pavilion attractively within ten days if the customer changes his mind at short-notice and wants to present cars spectacularly in addition to motorcycles as originally planned?
What is it like to work with Thom Mayne?
Marking the kick-off to the conference series SLO ITA AUT on January 16th, 2009 at the pretty crowded HDA Graz, a total of four architectural offices from Slovenia (Alexander Nino Ruiz, monochrome) and Italy (Giovanni Damiani, GEZA - Gri e Zucchi Architetti Associati and Laura Zampieri, czstudio) presented an entertaining insight into their project treasure chests. Unfortunately only four could make it, since influenza knows no boundaries, and two participants had to swap their mouse for a hot toddy and a water bottle.
The initiator ZV Steiermark sees these events primarily as a means to stoke up good neighbourly relations between the three bordering countries with regard to architecture. For many years the Trigon Biennial, originating from Steirischer Herbst in 1968, had been proving how interesting and inspiring cultural exchange and competition beyond the garden fence could be.
A series of three conferences, one a month, in each country. The corresponding host invites innovative offices from the neighbouring countries, who would present themselves to local national representatives of their profession, thus also making contact with one another.
The conference, which was organised by ZV Steiermark and HDA board member Anke Strittmatter of osa, office for subversive architecture, was opened with some introductory words by Martin Krammer president of ZV Steiermark. Indeed particularly osa, the loose collective of architects situated all over Europe and of which Strittmatter is a member, has been illustrating, over a period of years and through its ironic and imaginative installations, how fruitful this kind of collaboration can be without putting finances in the foreground.
Certainly, each (new) beginning of a cross-border architects’ network is a challenge. We have learned from many examples that social networking turned out to be inflationary and thus a correspondingly diffuse bubble. And surely no one will either want or be able to administer a kind of “Architects’ Facebook” containing hundreds of “friends”.
So it was that, after the individual presentations, it fell to the presenter for the evening, Silvia Forlati of SHARE architects, Vienna, to ask participants and the audience the two core questions for the evening: “Are we at all capable of working across borders? And, do we really want to?”
“Well there is indeed cultural exchange available, but first I will look after my house, was the reaction of one participant in the panel, thus pointing out the critical aspect of opening up too much to the outside. All other competitors in the comparable field of business, is of course a potential risk for one’s own turnover, especially as the financial crisis turns out to be the best-functioning global network. So it’s about overcoming not only borders but also fears.
“In contrast with Austria or Slovenia, Italy’s north-east is a poor area from an architectural point of view,” explained Stefano Gri of GEZA Architetti from Udine, “you have seen it in half a day!”
“Currently Italy has so many other problems. We are the first generation that is now able to cross the borders freely and working together will still need some time,” added Giovanni Damiani from Trieste. Landscape planner Laura Zampieri of czstudio in Venice demanded proper economic prerequisites for an ideal network. “The borders are still not open to everyone.”
The youngest participant, Alexander Nino Ruiz, a member of the Monochrome team from Ljubljana, had no doubts however. “Our projects live off a well-functioning network.” This also seems to be true for him in his private life. Love had brought the Columbian architect to Slovenia as he charmingly related.
The discussion became rather lively when someone from the audience asked why something that was perfectly normal some hundred years ago, could now suddenly no longer work – namely the connection between the three regions. “After all, the classic Austrian strudel has held its ground on the Upper Adria to this day” was the sardonic parting comment.
A simple sticking point became quickly evident: if this networking were to be dependent on public transport provision, much time and patience would be expected of those travelling. Reasonable connections with Trieste are hard to spot. A small digression: according to the Austrian Railways route planner, a rail journey from Graz to the seaport in Northern Italy takes between seven and eleven hours, depending on the route. Someone preferring faster air travel has to transfer in Munich (sic!).
Apart from the infrastructural barriers though, coming together is “first of all a personal challenge”, said Piero Zucchi of GEZA. “Actually I think it is our daily task to break through the hard borders.”
In conclusion, Martin Krammer introduced his vision of why this triangle of countries cannot be seen as a single experimental area for architecture. “All that counts is exchange between us”.
The second part of this series will be held in Trieste on February 6th, while Ljubljana will mark the conclusion on March 13th 2009. Venues will soon be announced on www.gat.st.
CONTACT:
ZV Steiermark
Zentralvereinigung der Architekten Steiermark
c/o HDA
Haus der Architektur
im Palais Thinnfeld
Mariahilferstraße 2
8020 Graz
project management SLO ITA AUT:
Martin Krammer, Anke Strittmatter
contact & organisation:
Arch. DI Anke Strittmatter
strittmatter@osa-online.net
sponsered by:
Bundeskanzleramt : Kunst
Land Steiermark - Kultur
Stadt Graz
translation:
[Y'plus] Graz - http://www.yplus.at
- Verfasser/in:
- Emil Gruber, report
Weiterführende Links
