2004-2005

VIENNESE LOUNGE
Mixed Media Installations

Christoph Cargenelli, Elisabeth Grübl, Manfred Grübl

Christoph Hinterhuber, Elisabeth Penker, Peter Szely

Viennese Lounge is an affiliation of 6 artists, which share similar interests in individually varying practices. The collaborative projects deal with subjects such as networking in an international context, club culture and its connection to concepts of work and the methods of work in contemporary art. The work of Viennese Lounge can therefore be conceived of as a development of basic structures and spatial concepts with the goal of positioning one’s own work in a discursive context to work of local artists. Thus, Viennese Lounge is a kind of exhibition tour that features the collective rather than the individual artists. The spatial concepts constitute specific ambiences, for which the collective creates a framework of orchestrated light, sound architecture and interior decoration as well as graphic concepts. These ambiences are adapted for each location and therefore constantly modified. They serve as platforms where invited artists present their contributions, which vary greatly, ranging from visual works (videos, graphic design) and fashion to sound-oriented art. An important aspect of the project are collaborations with art theorists who are invited to publish reviews of the exhibitions in renowned art magazines. As a consequence, the project circulates more widely and attracts a larger and more international public with interest in the arts.

Today, in a time of worldwide networks and globalization, it is only evident that also artists continue improving their skills, stay on the pulse of time and try to benefit from opportunities not only in production but also as regards networking with other internationally active curators, artists and agents. Therefore, a wealth of contacts has become a side-effect of the exhibitions and should also turn out to be productive for the local scene in Vienna, in case of a successful launch of Viennese Lounge at home in Austria at art galleries and spaces that are interested in seizing the opportunity for international exchange.

In the production we draw on aspects of club culture. Sampling, a widely known term today referring to bringing together things that were not conceived of as a belonging together, reproducibility, the questioning of the concept of the author in the sense of a unique item as well as the recycling of artistic work are at the core of the project. Similar as in the production of electronic music, Viennese Lounge has to do with exchangeability of components in terms of a constantly rearranged and remixed ambience, an interconnection(?) of cause and effect, the possibility of testing the animate in art, and to create a variation of a variation of a variation. The concept deals with minimalism and with a movement that turns around its own center.

Exhibitions and Projects

2002 KIBLA, Maribor, Slovenia
'Sonic Architecture/Sonic Shelf'
In cooperation with issue 'MSN (Music, Sound, Noise) EBR (Electronic Book Review) a web magazine for Literary Criticism. Multi-channel audio matrix within the exhibition space and the surrounding architecture .Audio archive in a sculptural structure containing a collection of international audio artists. The project is linked and interactive the EBR web-site

2001 Dom, Moscow
Exhibition project in cooperation with the Theremin Foundation, Moscow, situated in a multi-channel audio matrix, with musicians from the Theremin Foundation and visual by Sophia Goscinski.

2000 Temporary Services; Chicago, IL
'HARD CORE' solo drum improvisation with 2 drummers from the club Velvet Lounge (a local Southside jazz club). Special guest Monica Wührer and Drummers Isiha and Michael Adams.The title was adapted from CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) which was founded in 1942 by a group of interracial students in Chicago.

2000 Gallery Rhizom, Aarhus, DK
'Widerstand art & politics from Austria'
Group exhibition: presentation of the web-project entitled 'www.vienneselounge.at' which was linked to the galleries website. (www.rhizom.org)

2000 Propaganda, Moscow
'Casting' photo-shoot for the magazine 'Ahead' of clubbers at the club Propaganda.

2000 Project Room G9, Oslo
'www.vienneselounge.at'
installation/interactive web project containing links to Austrian resistance groups in an audio setting by Viennese Lounge with local DJs and audio-artists in cooperation with Camera Austria Magazine issue # 70.

1998 Dock 11, Berlin
installation by Viennese Lounge with live electronics guest: das es (Sinn Zucar Rec., Berlin), and local DJs: ran (galerie berlintokyo, Berlin), Samtbody (Subground, Berlin)