In Austria

Initiation and production of The De Valigia Train, sideline shows and catalogue in Austria
by Stichting De Blinde Schilders in collaboration with Hans-Peter Wipplinger / Heide Linzer (Art Phalanx, Vienna),
Max Aufischer and Nikolaus Breisach (Kulturvermittlung Steiermark, Graz),
Wolfgang Preisinger / Christiane (Die Fabrikanten, Linz)

with

converted Greek passenger carriage / (33 ) Greek artists

converted Danish passenger carriage / (26 ) Danish artists

converted Dutch cargo carriage / (28) Dutch artists

converted Yugoslavian passenger carriage / (33) Yugoslavian artists

converted Hungarian postal carriage / (28) Hungarian artists

converted Austrian postal carriage / (30) Austrian artists

one converted container on flat bed wagon as exhibition stage for artists from other countries

one 'look-in' container on a central position/square in every town

Time table

Vienna

Opening celebration in Vienna 'Sued' train station, Track 1, on the 23. April 1998, 8 p.m.

Program Opening celebration:

Opening speeches

officially opened by Paolo Bianchi, Art critic and Prof. at the Linz Academy

and Dr. Peter Maboe

Il teatro Artigiano de "La Scuola de Tovena"

exhibition dates: 24. April till 3. May 1998

Graz

Opening celebration 5. May, 8 p.m.

exhibition dates 6. May till 12. May

Linz

Opening celebration 14 May, 8 p.m.

exhibition dates 27 May till 10 May

opening times at all locations: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

* the project was on view to the public free of charge

Activities and sideline shows

Invites of Austrian artist through collaborations with:

Hans-Peter Wipplinger (Art Phalanx, Vienna ) Mentor

Max Aufischer and Nikolaus Breisach (Kulturvermittlung Steiermark, Graz)

Wolfgang Preisinger (Die Fabrikanten, Linz)

Preparation catalogue, De Valigia Train in Austria, (1600 copies), which were sold for cost price to the public. Artist's addresses and telephone numbers have been published in the catalogue.

Preparation of the Austrian railway carriage

Opening and artist party. At the opening, the artists, curators and organisers were getting together in the 'Alpenmilchzentrale'.

The container was for the period of time, the show was in town in a very predominant place. Vienna (Im Graben), Linz and Graz in the city centres.

Transit Lounge (clubbing) House Party at Vienna South Station (30. April / 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.)

Reading with Franzobel through the intercom at Vienna South Station (1.May 1998)

'Wanderbar', happenings for the end manifestation of De Valigia Train, with 'Reception of Maria Callas in the Midnight train', Hans Anderson singing 'train songs' and various DJ's.

Educational activity

A mailing has been sent out to art teachers in schools to promote a visit for art teachers and their pupils to the train. Giving to the students an indication of what contemporary art can be about. For teachers to bring the project into the classroom. About 30 school classes attended the train.

Press conferences, publicity and media

Press conference in Vienna on the 22. April, 11.00 a.m. Sued station, 'Rosenkavalier'

Preparation invitation cards and international mailing

Preparation posters and flyers

Newspapers and magazines: 15 publications

Television: 3 television documentaries

Visitor attendance

Visitors attendance at the opening in Vienna: about 900

Visitors attendance for the whole period of time in Austria: about 10.000

Container in city centres about 15.000

Official co-organiser and other co-operation

Austrian Railways (OEBB)

Art Phalanx

Kulturvermittlung Steiermark

Die Fabrikanten

Patron for DE VALIGIA TRAIN in Austria

Prime Minister Mag. Victor Klima

in Vienna

Kulturstadtrat Dr. Peter Marboe

in Graz

Kulturstadtrat Dr. Strobl

in Linz

LH DR. Josef Puehringer

Participation of professionals (artists)

Peter Arlt

ARTEC

Gerhard Baldasti

Alexandra Brandl

Cargnelli / Szely

Waltraut Cooper

Carla Degenhardt / Franzobel

Gustav Deutsch

Richard Fleissner

Heribert Friedl

Christoph Fuerst

Seiichi Furuya

Judith Huemer

Herbert Kapplmueller

Peter Laher

Alois Mitter / Guenter Lippl

Tobias Pils

Michelangelo Pistoletto

multiple autorenschaft lienz

Franz Pichler

Heide Pichler

Claudia Plank / H. W. Poschauko

Max Seibald

Hanna Schimeck

Werner Schimpl

Elfi Sonnberger

the POOR BOYs ENTERPRISE

John Tylo

werkstadt graz / kunstlabor eferding

Johanes Zechner

remarks

Although on a cultural bases, the project in Austria was pretty set, the late decision for participation of the OEBB was bringing the time planning to a shift of five months further on. A lot of good intentions was needed to keep the spirits of the co-organisers on the positive-thinking side. Also the Italian Association Scuola De Tovena was getting impatient. Tending to be more and more focused in commercial directions, we received impossible deadlines.

The exhibition was succeeding for all the involved parties. On the locations the exhibitions have been of great pleasure to the audience. The great variety of sideline happenings on the train stations, were certainly an inspiration to see the impulse, the train can give.

In the first four stages of the train, it was collecting cultural luggage in the form of suitcases. They were on display in the carriages. Until this stage, the invited artists were asked to make a conscious effort to have their suitcases speak on a personal level, revealing much about the individual participating artists, as well as how they have chosen to employ the concept of luggage in their lives. At this stage of the project, we realised, that by artists creating an artwork in their studio and bringing it to the train, the involvement of the artist in the train was over. As an active network of artists and curators and the development of processes are very important, we consulted with our board of advisers. We developed the train from the exhibition concept of a static show of luggage into active network lounges in form of artists workshops on the train.
Accordingly we changed the name of The De Valigia Train into the europartrain.

Please find also a reference with Wolfgang Preisinger, DIE FABRIKANTEN, text in NL catalogue

Thanks to the following people and instances

KUNSTVEREIN ART PHALANX, Wien, Hans Peter Wipplinger, Heide Linzer, Angela Eder, Heide Maria Hager, Susanne Haider, DIE FABRIKANTEN, Linz, Wolfgang Preisinger, Christiane Stieber, Viktoria Schloegl, Ingrid Schoendorfer, KULTURVERMITTLUNG STEIERMARK, Graz, Max Affischer, Nikolaus Breisach, Harald Erian, Luise Grinschgl, Martina Kaltenbaeck

Bundeskanzler Mag. Viktor Klima, Landeshauptmann Dr. Josef Puehringer, Wiener Kulturstadtrat Dr. Peter Marboe, Grazer Kulturstadtrat DI Helmut Strobl

Oesterreichische Bundesbahnen / OeBB: DI Dr. Helmut Draxler, Dr. Gabriele Vyskocil, Dr. Robert Wolf, Helmut Hantak, Mag. Claudia Kowatsch, Hr. Mühleder, Hr. Salchenegger

Bundeskanzleramt, Kunstsektion: Dr. Peter Wittmann, Dr. Mag. Andreas Paul Mailath-Pokorny, Mag. Joseph Secky, Dr. Alfred Koll, Mag. Thomas Drozda, Mag. Kathrin Kneissl, Mag. Olga Okunev

Kulturamt der Stadt Wien: Dr. Wolfgang Hilger, Mag. Boris Marte

Bundesministerium für Unterricht u. kulturelle Angelegenheiten: Bundesministerin Elisabeth Gehrer

Bundesministerium für auswaertige Angelegenheiten: Dr. Monika Kalista, Dr. Lee Stoerk

Land Oberoesterreich / Stadt Linz: Mag. Martin Hochleitner, Landeskulturdirektion, Kulturamt der Stadt Linz, Dr. Peter Leisch, Dr. Johannes Riedl, amtsf. Praesident des Landesschulrates, Fachinspektor für Bildnerische Erziehung, Mag. Riebe, Mag. Bernhard Hasenberger, Klaus Wallinger

Land Steiermark / Stadt Graz: DDr. Peter Schachner-Blazizek, 1. Landeshauptmann-Stv., Dr. Manfred Glawogger, Dr. Heinrich Klingenberg

KulturKontakt Austria: Annemarie Tuerk, Mag. Beate Schilcher

Paolo Bianchi

Medienpartner: Der Standard, City

A -Null / Anton Bauer, Barbara Agath, Mag. Kurt Baluch, Dr. Josef Cap, Robert Eder, OR Dr. Edda Fuhrich, Mag. Georg Galambfalvy, Mag. Birgit Gruber, Franziska Hager, Ulrike Höpfner, Erich Hutter , Michael Kieslinger, Sabine Loidold, Franz Morak, Eva Musil, OeKS, Maria Pistoletto, Mascha Pörzgen, Michael Rausch-Schott, Clemens Riedl, Mag. Martin Sturm, George Tabori, Klaus Wallinger, Dominik Weißboeck, Martina Wiesboeck, Mag. Karin Wolf, Baerbl Zechner, Dr. Wolfgang Zinggl, ZONE, Paolo Dani, Georg Graf, Arash Tajmir, Judith Heumer, Tom-Andre Skullerud, Willi Wimmer, Veronie Willemars, Andrew Borge, Wijkcentrum Havens Oost, Panagiotis Stergiopoulos, Nicola Dokmanovic, Attila Nadudvari, Laszlo Feher, Geert Termeer, Sue Thompson, Mariandl Spuijman, H.V.V. B.V. Assurantien, Hans Gaasbeek, Ibolya Erdoes, Frits Marckmann, Vakgroep Beeldend FNV, John Haley, Eva De Klerk, Jeroun van Roon, Ellis van de Giessen, Sabine Hoes, Edward van der Tuuk, Michi Meier, Han Spekens, Gianpaolo D'Andrea, Loredana Manfre, Anita Possamai, Pietro Argenti, Dr. B. van Heerde (Royal Dutch Embassy in Vienna), AEGON, Mark Sweys, Christine u. Giagl Zimmermann

The OeBB, for the use of their premisses for photography of the art works.