Post-Residency Reflections: Vienna
It’s that time of the year when I finish all residencies, fellowships, talks, and exhibitions, and reflect on the year that’s about to pass. It’s been a wonderful year of learning from different cultures and finding other ways of pursuing my practice. In 2018, I held residencies and fellowships in Vienna (KulturKontakt Austria and the Austrian Federal Chancellery), Beijing (China Residencies and Red Gate Gallery), and Taipei (Mekong Cultural Hub and the British Council). This post recalls some of my favorite memories during my Vienna residency.
My residency with KulturKontakt Austria and the Austrian Federal Chancellery was, without a doubt, one of the best and most rewarding residencies I’ve had. Being in the quiet environment of the Schloss Laudon complex, having a very supportive staff (Hi Nicole and Brigitte!) and wonderful collaborators, and having freedom and time made me push myself and not waste a day. It also helped that I was around nature and was able to go hiking every day if I wished. I came out with another body of work and more questions that I hope to pursue as I move forward.
Here are memories that I took away from Vienna and hope to return to one day:
1. The museums
Specifically, I could live in the Naturhustorisches Museum Wien (Natural History Museum, Vienna), and bunk in the meteorite room and hang out with the taxidermists and herpetologists. Then I can take a break by going across the plaza to check out the cabinet of curiosities at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Then walk across the street to MuseumsQuartier and take a nap on one of the purple benches. It was fantastic to drink in all of this knowledge and be inspired by it.
2. The Tiergarten
I love animals and have always been seeking to incorporate zoology (one of the subjects my mom used to teach) into my work, so it was such joy to work with Gerhard Heindl, the historian of the oldest zoo in the world, to produce our collaborative piece, Der Tiergarten 1.0: Human Forces on the Animal Kingdom.
It was also a treat to go around the zoo in a golf cart to carry some 100+ year old wood!
3. Schloss Laudon and Augustinerwald
I miss the castle that we were never allowed into. And the swans and flowers. And those two sculptures of wild boars. And the room that used to be a sauna that was turned into art studios. And most of all, the stories of previous residents.
I also miss my bathtub, the Schloss Laudon fox, the trees I would say hello to, the bugs, etc.
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Gonna miss you, Schloss Laudon fox! Good to see you on our last days. #SchlossWalks
There were no taekwondo schools nearby so I had to find other ways of being centered. Thankfully, there was a forest right outside the schloss, so off I went many times. Being in nature is one way to flex our muscle against capitalism and fascism, so this is one thing I always make time for:
4. My fellow residents
As KulturKontakt Austria’s first artist-in-residence from the Philippines (sheesh, aren’t I always the first artist from the Philippines?), it was very mind-expanding to meet fantastic artists from Eastern Europe. To most Asians, when we think of Europe it’s usually the London-Paris-Barcelona triad and nearby, perhaps similar to how Westerners automatically think “Japan” or “China” when they think of Asia. Perhaps we surprised each other. It’s always a very humanizing event to meet different people and realize how very similar we are. Not to mention how amazing their food is.
5. My non-residency friends
Isn’t it great to click with people from all over the world? In this residency I met some activists, translators, artists, and many other people who made my three-month stay in Vienna seem as though I was home. There are still lots of freethinking people in Austria; I highly recommend checking it out!
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One Manileño down, one to go. We’ll miss you, Poklong! Even me; I live in Malate and you’re in QC! 😂
6. New skills
Each project makes me want to push myself and learn something new, so it is with a lot of pride and excitement that I report that I can now work with a belt sander and a laser engraver. The latter is only after a lot of help from German-speaking people at HappyLab. I’m a member of a maker lab—how miraculous is that?
7. Working with kids
I think working with children and youth will always be part of my practice, so hurray for the first group of writers for Letters for Science!
8. Being around the history of science and art
From carrying a pizza box outside Johannes Kepler’s old apartment to having coffee in Gustav Klimt’s old stomping grounds, Austria is pretty fantastic for art-science nerds like me.
9. The Naschmarkt
If I add up the ages of all the old science books I bought, they will span centuries. I miss my Saturday routine of grabbing a couple of Kaspressknödel and saying hello to my favorite booksellers, Gerard and Idris.
I also unwittingly built a collection of Nazi books, including a 1938 Mein Kampf. I’m still hoping to incorporate into a project. (I only read half of it; how depressing to read someone’s unadulterated hatred for other people.)
10. The cakes
Hey Austria, when I finally lose the 10 pounds I gained from three months of eating Sachertorte, I hope to see you again.
Thanks for everything, Vienna! Hope to see you again soon!
From April to June 2018, I was artist-in-residence of KulturKontakt Austria and the Austrian Federal Chancellery. The body of work produced during this time was Wild Science.
Catherine Sarah Young 