41 posts
19/01/2024
The self-proclaimed saviours of the classical culture industry have been appearing more frequently lately. Instead, they are launching a fundamental critique that identifies the state-funded cultural institutions as the refuge in which everything that refuses to recognise the signs of the times is brewing: Along voyeur-like, pleasurably spread out case studies, stories are told of […]
07/09/2023
There has been a long-standing relationship between Austria and Turkey, particularly between the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This relationship has often been marked by significant tensions, with borders being constructed and torn down, especially in the Balkans, which has been a major site of conflict. However, beyond the political power struggles, there has […]
05/06/2023
I will never forget my introduction to the multiplication tables. For months, the world seemed to consist of nothing but questions from the teacher and – coordinated with that – from the parents, how much 7×6 is, 9×8 or 11×13. If I didn’t quickly give the right answer, I found myself in front of a […]
12/12/2022
The conductor Teodor Currentzis has recently caused a stir that, upon first glance, has nothing to do with his artistic activities. The media attention was mainly related to his refusal to take a stand in the current war in Ukraine. The Viennese newspaper Falter recently described him as an “ingenious turncoat” who would try to […]
01/12/2021
On what basis should artists be paid? In free-market societies, the answer would be: According to the principle of supply and demand. If artists produce sought-after products and services, then they will earn high revenues or be well compensated. If, however, they produce art that does not interest anyone, then the income that can be […]
13/10/2021
A few days ago, a comment by Karin Bauer appeared in the Standard that made me prick up my ears. She reported on a recent survey by the US insurer Breeze, according to which 65% of Americans would be willing to give up at least five percent of their income if they could stay in […]
23/06/2021
How do you feel when you are addressed as a typical “non-visitor”? Are you missing something, do you feel deficient, do you feel addressed at all? Or are you actually proud of it? However you feel about this attribution, as a non-visitor you are in good company. You share this label with the vast majority […]
16/04/2021
A few days ago, the results of the Vienna Theater Jury were published. The public was astonished to learn that the panel did not even agree on a lowest common denominator, but rather tried to reinforce prestigious status with its decisions. It came to the conclusion that the Viennese dance and performance scene was much […]
05/02/2021
People should not have wool pulled over their eyes. In times of fake news, this demand seems at least relativized. But it has been elevated to a principle by a slang that has been rampant for some time, especially in the cultural sector. Its representatives don’t spend much time on the question of which type […]
03/11/2020
The Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft Oberösterreich hosted its annual reception with the title “Courage in Culture”. The organizers did not allow themselves to be intimidated by the tightened event restrictions, but decided on a hybrid format, in which personal encounters between SPÖ politicians and artists would be possible. In the later evening Attwenger performed. With their aging […]
11/05/2020
The cultural sector is suffering, cry for help follows cry for help. And there is no end of worries in sight. Following the government’s decision to ban all public events until further notice, the ground was effectively pulled out from underneath, especially for smaller artistic initiatives. And in one fell swoop, the central importance of […]
19/02/2020
Recently, a commentary by Stephan Hilpold, head of the feature section of Der Standard, was published with the title “Stiefkind Kultur” (Stepchild: Culture). Obviously, not everything has gone smoothly in the course of the new government formation in terms of responsibility for art and culture. The former rector of the Academy of Fine Arts, Eva […]
14/10/2019
Künstlerhaus Graz recently held an exhibition by the young Hungarian artist Ákos Ezer. For the museum this project is part of the ongoing effort to deepen neighborly relations with Hungarian artists. (It’s actually surprising that cultural institutions in Hungary and Austria, two countries characterized by such a long and controversial relationship, want so little to […]
18/09/2019
It had to come. Already in her first speech at the panel discussion “Cultural policy for election”, the cultural spokeswoman of the New People’s Party Maria Großbauer once again evoked the concept of the “cultural nation of Austria”, which needed to be defended. Apparently, the best way to do this would be to let the […]
02/07/2019
Recently, the Vienna Museums Quartier organized a children’s culture parcours. The art and cultural institutions based here presented their diverse offerings for and with children and invited people to participate. All these initiatives made it clear that in recent years the significance of artistic activities for children has changed dramatically. Children have simply become an […]
07/03/2019
An interview with Michael Wimmer comparing state cultural policies of the recent past as well as similarities and differences in the cultural understanding of the black-blue government.
18/10/2018
Recently Heinz Fassmann, the Minister of Education of the ruling conservative/right-wing coalition, has launched another “school package”. It sees itself as a deliberate attempt to counteract the liberal and artistically motivated tendencies of current school developments. The planned measures are particularly concerned with the Neue Mittelschule (New Secondary School), which would be closed immediately. Once […]
20/03/2018
This short comment is a contradiction in itself. More, it is the expression of an increasing uncertainty of the author when it comes to the claim of arts education as a globally comparable phenomenon. As a typical old WASP – some would describe me and my friends as “Default Men, who have to be dethroned” […]
02/10/2017
“Even in the camp of those believing in continual progress, one begins to understand that chaos is the rule of which the order is the most unlikely of the exceptions.” (Peter Sloterdijk) In 2015 Heads of State, Government leaders, UN High Level Representatives and civil society adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in total. They […]
17/05/2017
Recently during a rehearsal in the Burgtheater a stressed, young director burst out: “I hate the audience.” And far and wide, no one had opposed this. Quite obviously this young hopeful, with his aggression against those for whom he produces art, is not standing alone. Perhaps my fallacy already lies in the attribution of how […]
23/01/2017
It was a coincidence, that the last network meeting concerning the project ’’Art and Games“ coincided with the inauguration of the new president of the United States of America, Donald Trump. These two events that seem to have nothing to do with each other, however, made me think about cultural education in the light of […]
13/09/2016
There is a black & white photograph of me as a ten year old boy. I stand with my grandparents in front of their shared-garden plot shed on the outskirts of Vienna. The photography captures their poor living conditions. My grandparents first met in Vienna as so-called "Bettgeher”. They came from small villages in Upper […]
29/06/2016
This text was produced in a state of shock. The results of the British referendum had just been announced: a majority of the population voted in favour of leaving the European Union. This signifies the greatest change in the co-existence of countries in Europe since the fall of the Iron Curtain; the consequences of which […]
09/02/2016
The political landscape is fundamentally changing. More and more countries are facing challenges connected to right-wing-activism. In many different countries, be it France, Italy, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland or Austria, nationalist right-wing parties gain influence. They all reject the political project called Europe and strive to restrict civil rights. In […]
14/09/2015
A few days ago, my daughter took the enrolment test at the University of Vienna. Her report reminded me of the impressions I got from watching Erwin Wagenhofer’s documentary “Alphabet” on the handling of pupils in a mass education camp somewhere in China. The private company hired by the University of Vienna applied military-style organization, […]
11/03/2015
Measuring is awesome. Measuring is even essential for survival. Our perception of reality has reduced its focus on the measurable parts of the world. Parts that aren’t measurable do not exist anymore and their non-existence is of no concern. No wonder that quantifying has become an important issue in the field of arts education as […]
28/01/2015
It must have been something big that happened. More than 50 heads of states who in another situation wouldn’t have feared open confrontation, stood side by side with each other while staging unity against terror. Separated from the state leaders another 1,5 million people demonstrated their „unité nationale“. But what is the difference between daily […]
18/09/2014
Big scientific events tend to be somewhat confusing. With almost 500 participants and more than 200 presentations in up to 14 parallel sessions (find the program here) the iccpr 2014 was the biggest international cultural policy research conference so far. As it was the 8th of the biannual conference, some routines were visible – the […]
23/06/2014
Almost 15 years ago, the major cultural institutions of the federal republic of Austria changed their legal entities to full legal capacity. The cultural economist Peter Tschmuck has analysed this process and its effects in „Die ausgegliederte Muse“ (the outsourced muse). The end of the road is near Since the crisis of the Burgtheater became […]
05/05/2014
24/03/2014
Lately there has been much public attention on two cases of bad governance. On the one hand, the breakdown of a regional bank, Hypo Alpe-Adria, with the effect of at least 12 billion Euro damage for Austria’s state budget. On the other, the discovery of, let’s call it creative accounting at the Burgtheater Vienna, leading […]
03/02/2014
18/12/2013
Christkind is giving Austria a new government. Right before Christmas, the Austrian President has inaugurated the coalition of social democrats and conservatives who together reached just above 50% of the national election votes (compared to 90% in the 1950ies). If Austria would vote today – the pollsters are sure – the right-wing populist FPÖ would […]
26/09/2013
There were not many media reports on the fact that the US is denying the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduras the right to fly across the States on his way to China and that his participation in the UN General Assembly in New York is on stake. The reason is most likely the on-going anger at […]
24/06/2013
“At a time when global resources and economies tighten, arts and cultural education has a role in re-inventing, re-visioning, re-searching new and traditional means for engaging communities and especially young people.” This was the mission statement of the second “World Summit on Arts Education – Polylogue II” that took place in May 2013 in Wildbad […]
12/03/2013
A few days ago I was invited to a workshop on „Culture work in an international context“ at the University of Music and Performing Arts/Institute for Cultural Management and Cultural Theory (IKM). A few students and almost as many speakers were present. Again (just as on the conference on Cultural Diplomacy in November 2012 ), […]
17/12/2012
The Society of Friends of Music as main supporter of the Musikverein is celebrating its 200th anniversary. Just at the end of the Napoleonic wars, this private initiative of the Viennese bourgeoisie started its task to “bring the classical works on stage”, thus compensating its political weakness. Besides the concerts, a music school was started, […]
11/09/2012
The holiday season is over, and back on our office desks we are trying to get organized. Some travel experiences however are lasting and make me reflect upon questions and insights I cannot forget and do not want to forget. A contract of EDUCULT with the Open Society Foundations (OSF) by financial investor George Soros […]
19/06/2012
Recently I came across the book “The Swerve: How the World Became Modern”. In this book, Stephen Greenblatt, Professor of English and American Literature and Language at Harvard University and author of a fascinating Shakespeare biography describes the discovery of the final copy of an ancient manuscript titled “de rerum natura” written by Lukrez. According […]
12/03/2012
The political scientist Anton Pelinka stated in the context of the presentation of his book Europa – Ein Plädoyer that Europe is a “brainchild” and has not yet arrived in the “belly of the Europeans”, One tends to agree if only there was not the level of aggression and wrath of a growing part of […]
19/12/2011
Recently, the Austrian Institute for Youth Research presented its latest survey “Jugend und Zeitgeist”. According to the survey, young Austrians are pretty much “pragmatic egocentrics”. They distance themselves from any ideological statements; their position on social issues is limited to the topics that directly affect them. The differences between male and female youngsters are quite […]