Arts of Change – Change of Arts

From March to December 2024, the participatory Arts of Change coaching and funding programme of the association forum n will take place for the fifth time. The programme focuses on networking between students from all six Austrian state art universities in four federal states. At the interface of art and science, music and art students develop interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary project initiatives in small collectives. The artists conceive, reflect on and realise their visions together with other participants in the course of three intensive workshop modules as well as artistic-scientific exchange with experts and the programme's coaches. The artistic projects, which are dedicated to the question of a future worth living, are then on display at the final exhibitions in Salzburg and Vienna.

Arts of Change is financially supported by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, the Klima- und Energiefonds, the ÖH funding for climate-friendly initiatives and the participating universities: University of Applied Arts Vienna, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Graz University of the Arts, Linz University of the Arts and Mozarteum University Salzburg.

Works

Between Constriction and Escape (2024) deals with disrupting systems of oppression and imposed role models. These systems often occur unnoticed, much like the delicate nylon stocking that quietly upholds societal ideals, yet remaining fragile and easily torn. Whenever a thread breaks, the cohesion of the underlying stitches is lost. The system is disrupted: the running stitch becomes a symbol of resistance, an expression of anger that builds up and finally breaks out to spread with effective force. To make the constriction and the expression of anger audible, the installation created by Hovorka, Mühlögger and Sojer is framed with a musical composition by Pöll.

Julia Hovorka, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien (concept and realisation)
Nora Mühlögger, Kunstuniversität Linz (concept and realisation)
Isabell Pöll, Kunstuniversität Graz (concept and realisation)
Johanna Sojer, Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (concept)

Conquest Garden (2024) is a multimedia installation consisting of bouncing balls in the form of plant seeds, floor and wall markings, and three objects. These elements all come together in a game: visitors are invited to throw the seed balls around and interact with the marks and obstacles in the space. 

Bíborka Beres, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien
Sonnhild Essl, Kunstuniversität Linz
Franziska Prohaska, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien

ship of fools (2024) is a video performance project that pushes the boundaries of what society deems “normal.“ It questions the frames of reason, the rigid structures that shape our understanding of normality and asks if these frames can be bent, stretched, softened or even broken. The project challenges the conventional narratives around normality, welcoming the richness that comes with embracing alternative ways to be in this world. It is one way of approaching the broader conversation about neurodiversity. In a wider context, the project touches on ideas of sustainability, not just in the ecological sense, but in a more holistic way.

Leon Erdoedy, Kunstuniversität Graz
Tobias Kauer, Universität für Angewandte Kunst Wien
Bernhard Staudinger, Universität für Angewandte Kunst Wien
Mario Strk, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien
Marius Valero, Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien

Slow Processes was an artistic collective which dealt with the phenomenon of slow pacing in different dimensions. In the course of the conceptualisation, they decided to split and work on the same topic but create three individual artworks. Erdoedy‘s sound piece (In)consistency of Change seeks to dive into and explore the inner life and soundscapes of the wood; wood lives, wood changes, yet there are few things that embody perseverence more than the trees that are an ubiquotous part of our lives. Kornfeld‘s painting Shadows of Time embraces the theme of a "slow process," tracing the evolving shadows of trees as they dance with the changing light. The artwork invites viewers to be present, to slow down, and to witness the beauty in everyday moments often overlooked. It speaks to the art of being in the moment—moving no faster than time itself—like pausing to smell the flowers and noticing the quiet poetry in nature's subtle shifts. Zekl‘s video project Failing Process sheds light onto the topic of failing as part of a creative process. Visitors are invited to share their own failing experiences by interacting with the video installation as well as a dead tree to ultimately integrate the visitors‘ collected moments of failing into one new creative process.

Leon Erdoedy, Kunstuniversität Graz
Maya Carera Kornfeld, Universität für Angewandte Kunst Wien
Larissa F. Zekl, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien

Additionally, a collective textile installation is on display at the exhibition. It was created collaboratively by all Arts of Change 2024 participants at the third and final core module at the former textile factory building in Hirschbach b. Gmünd (Waldviertel, Lower Austria) in September 2024. The Czech artist Tereza Sýkorová contributed to the programme with a textile workshop which is part of her artistic practice. She gave insights into the process of creating textile sculptures. During the session, old clothes and leftover threads from the textile factory were used to create one joint textile object. This object is the result of time spent together in meditation, sharing stories and ideas and connecting with each other.