SCHWEMMLAND

SCHWEMMLAND is a global oriented and regional active initiative with the goal to prevent undeveloped urban land, remaining areas, „urbane Nischen“ in the east of Linz from a global sellout along with the commercial pressure on these areas and to preserve, open them for the urban population as a field of possibilites and living space that creates identity.

ONGOING-Project 2011: “Sechs ungewöhnliche Orte” – Entdeckungen im Linzer Osten Six unusual locations – reconaissances in the East of Linz We leave the drabness of over-regulated and secured city deserts and invite you to accompany us in our quest of mystical, inspirational and new approaches to our city off the beaten tracks. We drive at newly discover new territory or rather that, what lies dormant in pretend unregulated areas. In the “Hafenviertel”, an urban landscape mainly marked by industry and trade, blind spots conceal unforeseen future potential. Numerous of these spaces threaten to vanish due to high capitalistic pressure on these blind spots. Unlike other industrial cities Linz is on the verge of sacrificing precious public spaces (fallows, remaining areas, niches) in order to an unbowed belief in everlasting economic growth. These areas call for new communication strategies and a more sensitive handling of city plannig as until now. We understand the “Hafenviertel” (waterfront) in Linz as a part of our city and its suburban culture, where residents are active protagonists in the creation of their living environment. We want to visit special places, set temporary impulses in there, allow parts of the city and its history to be experienced and subsquently release them again. How these areas will and should be treated in the future or rather which future opportunities can arise will be discussed and fathomed with transdisciplinary experts on six unusual/exceptional locations.

about Christoph Wiesmayr

Christoph Wiesmayr born 1977 in Linz (A) completed 2010 his degree inArchitectural Studies at the Technical University Graz with distinction. In addition to working in relevant architectural offices he was a research study assistant at the Institute of Architecture and Landscape (Prof .K. Loenhart). Since 2003 he has been responsible for curating and organisation of miscellaneous cultural events and was involved in the Student’s Union (ÖH). Wiesmayr dedicated his diploma thesis – written together with Bernhard Gilli – to his home area, the East of Linz. Consequential they founded [Schwemmland] a global oriented regional active initiative with the goal to communicate special phenomena on remaining areas, undeveloped open land and “rurban niches” in the almost entirely sealed waterfront in Linz to the urban population and to preserve these areas as an important habitat. In that sense Wiesmayr’s field of interests lies primarily in the area of tension between Architecture, Urbanism, Art and Ecology.

Photo credits:

1. treib.gut Leerstand, Photo: Wiesmayr

2. Schwemmlandtour, Photo: Violetta Wakolbinger

3. Vanishing garden 2018, Photo: Reinhard Winkler

4. Schwemmland Grafik