Satu Herrala

22 February.: 8 to 11 pm
23 February: 6 to 9 pm

When the winter depression spreads and the temperature reaches its lowest point in February, Finnish artist Satu Herrala will be inviting the brut audience into the sauna. While the sauna community is sweating out the winter blues sitting in a circle, Satu Herrala will be reviving the old Finnish tradition whereby political and social themes are best discussed during an intimate rendezvous. On both dates in February, guest experts and artists will give short lectures relevant to the brut key topic Funny Feelings. Two viewpoints to life in Vienna will be explored – “embodied mysteries”: spiritual and physical practices such as occultism and alchemy as well as the shadows upon the city.  The lectures give the audience enough matter for a heated exchange of thoughts. Questions about hierarchy and opinion leadership gain a totally new dimension in this exposed situation. A wellness effect is guaranteed!

Satu Herrala works as performer, choreographer and curator in Finland, Austria and Germany. She has already realised her Sauna Lectures series at the SPIELART festival, the Baltic Circle Festival and the ANTI Festival. www.satuherrala.com

The Amalienbad will be open for you from 7:30 pm on 22 February and 5:30 pm on 23 February. The lectures start directly in the sauna at 8:00 pm and 6:00 pm respectively. Mixed-gender sauna, bathing wear permitted. Please bring your own towels. Limited number of spaces in the sauna, advance booking is recommended!

Detailed programme:

22 February, 8 to 11 pm
Sauna Lectures: Embodied mysteries

The sauna can be a ritual place, where mysterious experiences are possible. In „Embodied Mysteries“ Satu Herrala invites the sauna goers to open up themselves to altered body states induced by the heat. Two short lectures by Karl Baier and Karine LaBel provide input on this topic.

Karl Baier is a theologian at the University of Vienna and a yoga teacher. In his lecture he talks about an often neglected aspect of the Viennese Modernism: the exploring of occultism and occult (body-related) practices at the beginning of the 20th century in Vienna. Karl Baier elaborates on the development of occultism and spiritual practices from the past up until the Vienna of today and reflects on the current enthusiasm for Yoga in the western world. (Lecture in English language).

Karine LaBel is a Haitian dancer, dance teacher and ritual practitioner. Together with Viennese people as well as immigrants, especially from Africa, she performs Haitian dances and rituals. In her lecture she speaks about her life between Haiti and Austria, voodoo practices, Haitian dance and trance. She also discusses the prejudice against voodoo in Europe and presents a very intimate insight into her spiritual experiences and practices. (Lecture in English and German language).


23 February, 6 to 9 pm
Sauna Lectures: The dark side of Vienna

Vienna has a dark shadow or a secret. It is something affective that has to do with the past, but it also manifests in the present as a particular vibe. Sauna Lectures will take a deep look into the shadowy sides of Vienna and the bodies in the shadows, introducing several people, who live or work in Vienna. For this occasion they all meet at eye level in the sauna, where they can casually discuss political and social matters in a temporary community.

Jack Hauser is a visual artist, film-maker and performer. In his lecture he talks about director Nicolas Roeg and his movie „Bad Timing“, which was shot in 1980 in Vienna and tells a tragic love story of depression and attempted suicide. Analyzing the characters and the Viennese filming locations, Jack Hauser reflects on the darks side of Vienna. The famous Viennese prostitute Josefine Munzenbacher and the mysterious character Miryam Van Doren are the protagonists of Jack Hauser’s lecture. (Lecture in German language).

Ania is a sex worker and BDSM escort, a photographer and accountant living between two worlds. By talking about her life and work and her experiences as a worker in the sex industry she reveals the shadows of Vienna from her point of view. She will also speak about the problems the sex workers have to fight in Austria and the political situation of Austria’s sex industry. (Lecture in German language).

There will be a discussion with the audience at the end of each evening. The discussion will be presented by Barbara Balsei, who is a theatre maker from Munich who developped the first Sauna Lectures together with Satu Herrala and who has expertise in the fields of philosophy and psychoanalysis. (Discussion in German and English lecture).

Concept Satu Herrala Lectures by and with Karl Baier (yoga teacher and professor at the Institute for Religious Studies at the Institute of Vienna), Karine LaBel (Haitian dancer, dance pedagogue, ritual practitioner), Jack Hauser (visual artist, film-maker and performer), Ania (sex worker, photographer and accountant) Moderation Barbara Balsei

A co-production of Satu Herrala and brut Wien. Supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Culture Fund.

€ 14 Full price
€ 6 with the brutkarte*