die verschwundene galerie | local task 2003 - net art

Province
Graz - Gleisdorf - Pöllau. A bridge from the center of the state through the entirety of eastern Styria. It has the following backround. Eastern Styria was known as the "poor house" of Austria for a long time. One reason among others lies in the fact that the farming business of this area was forced to produce for the market in the first half of the 20th century. It didn´t matter that it was originally above all a self sufficient community. These and other "modernization steps" had the expected disadvantageous consequences.

That the regions stand in competition over who gets the greatest advantage and therefore a pull to the center belongs to the basic motive in the presentation of the " modern industry". Seen from this perspective, the different counties of eastern Styria are waged in competition. Further layered through is the top down concept of intention that should for example create new business and social themes such as "Thermal Spa Region" or "Energy Region".

provinz.jpg (14606 Byte)

[deutsch]

Streaked with other "regional concepts" which present themselves as "roads". "The Apple Road", "Castle Road". Defined kingdoms come from the marketing offices. The common tendency towards exaggeration by the advertisements is used to cover up the actual deficits. So the people are offered "Power Enhancing Villages", or ""Natural Energy Parks" and other obscure attributes within the living space. Practices which are often added to the contents of the spatial distance to the conventional center.

Gleisdorf and Pöllau are connected in that it was attempted to enhance their status through the major material expenditures of state funded exhibitions. Both exhibitions- "The Path to Power" in Pöllau and "Energy" in Gleisdorf were considered to be successful. There is a lack of proof that the large expenditures had any direct results which give witness to essential contributions towards a new meaning to the model of thought "central / provincial". There are also no passably noteworthy contributions from the "center of Graz" in this affair.

The new media situation offers a number of contrasts to be worked out. In order to confront the insistant extrapolaton of the motives from the 19th to the 21st century. The vanishing gallery deals among others, with them.

Martin Krusche

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