Up to Nature

Together with local experts, the British artists’ group FrenchMottershead conceived three explorations of the Vienna Woods with the themes “Human-Nature” (Understory 1), “The Plant Community” (Understory 2), and “Wild-Living Animals” (Understory 3). The audience will be embarking with the experts as part of the three workshops on an adventure to thoroughly examine the system of the Vienna Woods’ natural habitat.

Understory 1: Director Andreas Muhar of the Institute for Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning will be embarking with workshop participants on a playful examination of human attitudes toward nature. Participants on this journey through the landscape will explore whether these culturally determined notions can be accepted unchanged and which consequences they entail.
Understory 2: Botanists Margarita Lachmayer and David Prehsler present techniques that allow for the identification of the plant community. On their walkabout they will be breaking the spell of a man-made forest’s ostensible naturalness.
Understory 3: In the third workshop, ungulate expert Andreas Duscher of the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology will be leading an exploration of the lives lived by hoofed animals native to the Vienna Woods.

The workshops will be offered three times each over the course of the festival. Participants will be limited to fifteen persons per workshop. Registration is requested at produktion@brut-wien.at. A detailed programme of the workshops is available at www.brut-wien.at.

By and with FrenchMottershead Experts Andreas Muhar (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Institute for Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning [ILEN]), Margarita Lachmayer and David Prehsler (University of Vienna, Faculty Centre of Biodiversity), Andreas Duscher (University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Research Institute for Wildlife and Ecology)

Up to Nature is a co-production of ANTI – Contemporary Art Festival Kuopio, Black Box Teater Oslo, brut Wien, Inbetween Time Bristol, and Maska Ljubljana. In co-operation with the Wiener Festwochen. With the kind support of the European Commission.

Admission free