Lebenswandel
Bergsylvester Innsbruck, Hofburg, Innsbruck
In the work LEBENSWANDEL (engl Live Change) on the façade of the Innsbruck Hofburg and Hofkirche, we use the period of the turn of the year to reflect visually on the basic conditions of life: change and transformation, becoming and passing away.
In six chapters, two basic concepts are juxtaposed, which play an important role both today and 500 years ago at the time of Emperor Maximilian I, as well as in his epic poem “Theuerdank”, for example.
“The light” and ‘the shadow’ form the prelude: This polarity of light and dark, (symbolically often also standing for positive and negative) whose contrast makes seeing and perception possible in the first place.
“The path” and ‘the journey’ stand for dynamism, movement and development. Theuerdank” also describes the adventures of the 18-year-old knight's bridal journey.
“Memory” and ‘Time’ are about reflection and the question of what remains and what is forgotten.
In the section “Love” and “Freedom”, 333 different adjectives flood the façade, all of which are used to describe love. Can they also be used for “freedom”?
In “The Night” and “Sleep”, a dreamlike counter-world to the noisy “daytime” reality is created, before “life” and “the moment” are celebrated in the final chapter.
The projection uses only digitally modified typographic material from the UNIVERS condensed bold typeface by Adrian Frutiger from the mid-20th century and the Theuerdank-Fraktur from the 16th century, which was developed for the verse novel and became significant as the beginning of the Fraktur typeface.
The connection of type to the surface in terms of content and design refers to the concept of visual poetry, which has a long and rich tradition in Austria through artists such as Konrad Bayer, Gerhard Rühm, Ernst Jandl and Heinz Gappmayr.
The soundscape for the work was generated by Timber Hemprich.
Curated by Bettina Pelz, producer Michael Lang, Lang Medientechnik, on behalf of Innsbruck Marketing.