Austrian Soundmarks – Christoph Amann

The six-part sound installation Austrian Soundmarks (67:54 min) by Christoph Amann brings together acoustic snapshots from the summer months of 2018 – captured at various locations across the country. Between natural sounds, urban soundscapes, and atmospheric moments, an auditory portrait of Austria emerges, inviting mindful listening and pause.

The outdoor recordings were made using a specially assembled, mobile surround microphone setup. The resulting audio tracks allowed the ambient sounds to be distributed quadraphonically. This effect can be experienced in the main exhibition using headphones, via virtual spatial sound.

A selection of literary quotes related to the themes of the exhibition section “This is Austria!?”  was combined with the individual soundscapes to create an Austrian sound-image.

A cooperation with the Documentation Center for Modern Austrian Literature at the Literaturhaus Wien.

Christoph Amann

„Austrian Soundmarks“, 2018
Sound installation

ⓘ  Experience it now in the main exhibition.

Recording Locations Vienna: Stephansplatz, Ankeruhr, Meinl am Graben, Demel, Ballhausplatz (Thursday demonstration on October 4, 2018.), Straßenbahn Ring, Neustiftgasse/Music High School, Zieglergasse, Josef-Strauß-Park, Brunnenmarkt, Ottakringer Straße, Buschenschank Hengl-Haselbrunner (Live performance: Soyka, Stirner, Rittmannsberger), Wurstelprater, Prater Hauptallee, Praterstern (Demonstration on September 10, 2018), U1 subway line, Donaupark/ehemaliges Arbeiterstrandbad (former workers' beach)
Recording Locations Burgenland: Illmitz, Seebad Neusiedl am See

Recording Locations Lower Austria: Spitz an der Donau (Fireworks on June 23, 2018)

Recording Locations Salzburg: Domplatz (Performance of Jedermann at the Salzburg Festival, July 24, 2018)

Recording Locations Tyrol: Goldenes Dachl in Innsbruck

Recording Locations Vorarlberg: Dünser Älpele, Untere Hutla Alpe, Schnifis, Bregenz

Concept and Realization: Christoph Amann

Thanks to: Soyka/Stirner/Rittmansberger, Cornelia Mayer, Ulrich Maske, unknown street musicians at the Volkstheater/Ring and Karlsplatz tram stations, Michael Danler (Burggasse), Schwarzes Kameel, Restaurant Miznon, Pizzeria Il Mare, Berlin Döner, Dünser Älpele, Sennerei Schnifis, Erhart Transporte

Quotes from: Ilse Aichinger, C. W. Aigner, Rose Ausländer, Ingeborg Bachmann, Joe Berger, Alois Brandstetter, Dimitré Dinev, Karl-Markus Gauß, Elfriede Gerstl, Peter Handke, Josef Haslinger, Fritz von Herzmanovsky-Orlando, Ernst Jandl, Elfriede Jelinek, Radek Knapp, Werner Kofler, Hertha Kräftner, Barbi Marković, Robert Menasse, Andreas Okopenko, Max Ophüls, Béla Rásky, Robert Schindel, Arthur Schnitzler, Annemarie Selinko, Berthold Viertel, Josef Winkler, Dorothea Zeemann
 

Literary quotes compiled by: Evelyne Polt-Heinzl

Narrators:​​​​​​​ Wolfram Berger, Angelika Lang, Susanne Lichtenberger, Christian Reiner

Recordings: Christoph Amann, 2018