AUSTRIAN DESIGN
spring/summer 2010

VIENNA INSIGHT by publisher Karin Sawetz June 2010
Karin Sawetz is journalist, media researcher and fashion scientist (Mag. Dr. phil.).

Reporting about design in Vienna

Vienna is a nice place to live and work. But there are also some cruxes.

On 10 June 2010, I have visited the fashion exhibition 'Fish and Chips' after a lecture about Women Studies at the America House in Vienna. The lecture was very interesting. It focused on the situation of women in US which is not really comparable to Austria; both countries have a totally different demography. But the universal structure of the discrimination of women by law and society - beside all the differences - stays the same. The lecturer said: 'To wait for changes in society is like observing grass growing."

I even like the international events that happen in the city; such as the exhibition 'Fish and Chips' showing British design.

fig.: Exhibition insight 'Fish and Chips'.

I made some photos with the intent to report about the exhibition. Accidently, I met a Viennese designer. I mentioned that I have received information about her last presentations. My aim was to start a conversation about her work. But she surprised me with the wish that her interview with photo, which I have made in 1996, shall be deleted from Fashionoffice. The reason: the age of the interview; she prefers new interviews. Despite this argument, she was not in the mood to speak with me about her current work.

I don't like it when someone who appears in one of my articles wishes the deletion of my work. I finished the conversation by affirming that we will fulfil her wish.

The city is so great that journalists tend to forget that their work such as interviews have to be deleted at once as the one who is portrayed wants that. The reason therefore is that the Austrian media law measures the technology 'online' higher than the journalistic content. You can take the risk and walk in front of the court which is casted with judges that are programmed to decide against 'online'.

For example: on the day before 9/11 in New York in 2001, we have produced a video report from the catwalk of an Austrian designer in Bryant Park with an accompanying interview. We had to delete the video from the internet by order of an Austrian judge. This was only an interview about a fashion collection! By the way: the same judge has forced me to will into a ban that I never mention anything about this Austrian designer who had accused me. Adjudication orders like this one have made the round and in the last years, I have experienced that some people enjoy their (legalized) empowerment about the intellectual property of others.

Although I am only banned from mentioning one designer by an Austrian court, I am bothered about naming the others who are behaving comfortable on the well prepared ground thanks to the judges' legal concept. Who knows, probably I would be otherwise inviting myself to the next judgement!

I like Austria. And other countries - - have other cruxes.


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