Country outing to Art in public Space 2005 -2018

Between 2005 and 2018, the art educator Bärbl Zechner conceived some sixty country outings to art in public spaces throughout Lower Austria. On these interesting excursions to recently inaugurated and already existing projects, a constant “dialog on the road” with an art-interested public was conducted over a period of ten years. In total, an incredible 16,000 kilometers were covered by bus, and more than 200 works were visited.

Traditionally, the term “country outing” stands for a romantic idea of relaxing hours in the countryside, as a diversion from stressful city life. The multifaceted excursions organized here under this title contributed to broadening horizons in a reflective way through the interplay of short trips to rural regions and intensive encounters – at times filled with interesting discussions – with the works of art on site. Under the curatorship of Bärbl Zechner, the approach to the artistic interventions in the public space took place on various levels: Musical, literary, culinary, cultural-political, philosophical, and even scientific approaches broadened the spectrum of observation and stimulated new questions about art and the landscape. In addition, the participants received background information on the respective location and its history. Concrete insights into the artistic processes by the artists themselves, as well as into the implementation procedures of the initiators, broadened the perception of the works and stimulated the exchange among the interested parties. The combination of long-standing projects and recently completed works provided insights into the changing tasks of art in the public space and the formal-aesthetic forms of implementation.

In addition to the four to six regular country outings per year, Bärbl Zechner also offered so-called EXTRA outings, for which excursions to works of art were organized according to particular themes, such as square designs, light works, and culture of remembrance.

On many of the outings, Bärbl Zechner was assisted by Johanna Zechner.

“The desire to leave the confines of the city behind, at least for a few hours at the weekend, to breathe fresh air in largely unspoiled nature, to stop at a country inn with a view of the beauty of the countryside, is widespread and by no means new. It was probably the artists who, in the nineteenth century, awakened this longing for unspoiled nature with their idealized landscape paintings. And today, it is again art that entices us to take a trip to the countryside, near or far from the city. Today, however, the works of art unfold their critical rather than their idealizing potential.” (Bärbl Zechner)