Hans Kupelwieser :
Seebühne

The architecture critic Ute Woltron described the stage on the lake at Lunz as an "all-weather compatible, robust hybrid machine". The sculptor Hans Kupelwieser, incidentally from here, is known beyond the borders of his homeland for his clever and sensitive memorials. He has conceived of a piece of land art that could not be more diverse in its usage nor more surprising in appearance: a floating stage that rests under the surface of the water and emerges when needed and a stepped sun-deck that are transformed into a covered theatre during the summer festival at Lunz. Just as the crystal clear waters of the Lunzer See and the thickly overgrown banks are both dramatic and pathos laden at the valley end, so Hans Kupelwieser helps to make the terrestrial setting more extraordinary: When the 'lunzer wellenklaenge' festival starts, and the water pumps are switched on, the lakeside stage folds open like a Cadillac convertible. Then the red Merian star is not far away, signifying a highpoint in Lower Austria, one that no visitor to the region should miss. All of the individual elements – the stage, the stands, the roof – even the mechanics, technical equipment and construction, have a second life as a waterfall or a high-diving board. Together they form a magnificent artwork, one that combines the sculptural dimension with architecture, the environment, movement, construction in space, the visionary aspect of machines and finally public affairs.
(Brigitte Huck)