While the Schwendermarkt area was being renovated, the area renewal office, Gebietsbetreuung Storchengrund, came up with the idea of designing the supporting wall adjacent to the market area. This wall delineates the area from the Mariahilfer Street which is located higher up. These considerations were prompted by the idea of the marketplace serving as a sort of hub and forum for different social strata and cultures. In the summer of 2004, 72 different languages in total were registered.
Against this social background, the wall, which measures more than 80 meters in length – referred to as the "Wall of Language" - was painted in a graffiti-like style by young people of different linguistic origins who added their own personal and general texts. A drawing competition was held to select the various texts (aphorisms, poems or pointed short comments) written in Polish, English, Arabic, Turkish, Romanian or Croat. Within the framework of a cooperation with Public Art Vienna, the two artists Christine and Irene Hohenbüchler graphically arranged these texts and then applied them to the wall, helped by Jan Blaschko and Roland Zolle, students at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Text extract: Christina Werner, „Wall of Language“ in: Public Art Vienna. Departures - Works - Interventions. 2004 - 2007.
Location
Schwendermarkt B, 1150 Wien, Österreich
Gallery
Further Information
Artists
Christine und Irene Hohenbüchler
*1964 in Vienna, live and work in Vienna.
Concept
Michaela Rebel-Burget, Gebietsbetreuung Storchengrund
Karin Hackl, Cultural Commission Vienna 15
Roland Schöny, Art in Public Space Vienna
Visual Implementation
Irene and Christine Hohenbüchler
Jan Blaschko and Roland Zolle, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna
Sponsors
Farbenprofi Hans Hatzl, Reindorfgasse 31
STO, Industriezentrum Süd 2
Stranz GmbH
Vienna Economic Chamber, paint and varnish manufacturers and suppliers
Structural Support
Wolfgang Bergauer (MA 28)
Ruth Lackner (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.)
Participating pupils and schools in 1150 Vienna
Johanna Berger and Ingrid Pröller, Diefenbachgasse secondary school
Angelika Bruhn, Sechshauser Strasse lower-secondary computer technology school (KMS)
Maria Megay, Henriettenplatz secondary school
Petra Lessmann, Reichsapfelgasse primary school
Michaela Rois and Florian Wimmer, Vienna private Islamic secondary school (Verein Solmit), Private lower-secondary school (KMS) "Schulschwestern unserer lieben Frau", Private primary school "Schulschwestern unserer lieben Frau"
Issra Abdo, Hawari Abdullah, Yousef Huber, Dunja Saleh and Sarah Yasin, Vienna private Islamic secondary school (Verein Solmit), Form 3a, "Flying Elephant"
David Adamiker, Diefenbachgasse secondary school, Form 5c, "Mother says…"
Duda Ambra, Diefenbachgasse secondary school, Form 5c, "we are not in this world…"
Mohammed Daliah, Diefenbachgasse secondary school, Form 5c, "Network of relations"
Dudu Kara and Katharina Simon, Sechshauser Strasse lower-secondary computer technology school (KMS), Form 2a, "1 hand can…"
Angelika Kaszo, Diefenbachgasse secondary school, Form 5a, "Where 2 are quarreling…"
Hassan Samar, Henriettenplatz secondary school, Form 3b, "Chocolate…"
Marcus Steiner, Henriettenplatz secondary school, Form 3a, "In the midst of…"
Lenka Stepankova, Henriettenplatz secondary school, Form 3b, "Fantasy is…"
Time Period
Since January 14, 2005
Removal/overpainting
Education - Events
- Eröffnung Friday, January 14, 2005