Sankt Poelten lebt!

St. Pölten is going to apply for being European Capital of Culture 2024 and wants to present itself internationally. The Master's thesis in Exhibition Design deals with the structures, the rough edges of its history and the future of the city. What makes this city special and what does it want to be? Based on these questions this thesis developed a design concept for the European Capital of Culture year.

Can you bring a city to life by making the city itself a living and acting organism? The idea is based on the philosophical construct of the rhizome, coined by Gilles Deleuze and Feilx Guattari. The rhizome is originally a botanical term and describes a root network that is dynamic, processual and anti-hierarchical. It has no beginning and no end. You can adopt these principles in many different ways. The result is a guiding system throughout the region, with roots linking the locations of performance, art and culture. They can be a theatre, a museum, a roundabout or a parking lot. Places that were never meant to attract anyone gain attention and thus also reach people who usually never attend cultural activities. Art does not have to move within four walls. It can break out, grow and move freely. Art does not have to move within four walls. It can break out, grow and move freely. (sic!)

Text & Photography: Lisa Huber