16 April 2019

Styrian interdisciplinary festival 'steirischer herbst' unveiled this year's title: 'Grand Hotel Abyss' reflects upon themes like social inequality, the country's history,...

Yesterday, the in Graz (capital of Styria, Austria) headquartered contemporary art, performances, theatre, film,... festival 'steirischer herbst' made the title of this year and the ideas behind public.

Reading the introduction into 'Grand Hotel Abyss' sounds like the synopsis of a dystopian movie with suspense elements giving the audience enough information about the end of the story but holds on the slowly flickering thrill of a surprisingly developing plot. Even the history of the festival 'steirischer herbst', founded in 1968 in times of Cold War, plays a role.

Originally, the title was created by Georg Lukács (born 1885 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, died 1971) in the 1960s as critique on the (in)activity of intellectuals. At the introduction, the words of Lukács provide the first images of a visionary scenery where the elite of the European world makes party - and forgets to work. Work on protests against people's exploitation and on concepts for new pillars of future societies could be possible associations. Grand Hotel Abyss is a synonym for the European intellectual and cultural scene and described by Lukács as "a beautiful hotel, equipped with every comfort, on the edge of an abyss, of nothingness, of absurdity. And the daily contemplation of the abyss between excellent meals or artistic entertainments, can only heighten the enjoyment of the subtle comforts offered."

Steirischer herbst embeds Grand Hotel Abyss into the environment of Graz and the Austrian federal state Styria with its comfortable tourist offers, the lovely landscape with enchanting vineyards and seemingly countless gastronomy locations providing the region's delicious dishes. But such as a bass guitar in a music composition is steadily around without playing the lead, steirischer herbst incorporates the other side of this Styrian idyll. The bass tones vibrate "creepy crypto-nationalist undertones", forming the sound-profile of a landscape "...where the abyss of radical social exclusion, economic crisis,... approaching in slow motion."

It sounds like the curators under the direction of Ekaterina Degot have developed an esthetical, intellectual rollercoaster program! Steirischer herbst will happen from 19 September until 13 October 2019 at various venues in Graz and Styria, Austria.

fig.: Campaign image of 'steirischer herbst ’19'. Sujet: Grupa Ee.


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