Fiona Rukschcio :
Im Ernstfall ist alles anders

Fiona Rukschcio addressed a fact marginalised in the official chronicles in her work for the new school for fire-fighters in Tulln: The conscription of women into the fire service, especially during the Second World War in Austria. In the course of her research she ran into a handwritten text at the Tulln fire fighting museum by the former assistant fire-fighter Maria Lehner, and met the latter's contemporary Maria Auli, who was also occupied in the fire brigade during the Second World War. The personal memories, marked by gaps, of Frau Auli are contrasted with the historical report by Frau Lehner in a film that does not just go into detail about her tasks and the procedure but also attempts to provide insight into the atmosphere among women at that time. The artist attempts to sketch a complex image of the significance of this work for the women of the time, but also its impact on their lives later, and indirectly provides information about how society deals with the overturning of classical gender roles in exceptional situations. In addition to the film, a floor piece was envisaged for the forecourt of the school. This element of the work could not be realised — as we aren't in an exceptional situation today, just the 'normal' one, the fire-fighters didn't want to have anything to do with women.
(Katrina Petter)