[December 12th 2002]
press release

Site-Seeing: Disneyfication of Cities?
An Exhibition Project by Sønke Gau and Katharina Schlieben

Opening 12th December, 2- 20 pm

Künstlerhaus
Karlsplatz 5
Vienna
Tel: (+43)1 587 96 63
Open: 13th December 2002 ­ 9th February 2003
www.k-haus.at
more info: www.site-seeing.at

Artists: Margit Czenki, Harun Farocki, Andreas Fogarasi, Wiebke Grösch und Frank Metzger, Lisa Holzer und David Jourdan, Elsebeth Jørgensen und Sofie Thorsen, Pia Lanzinger, Dorit Margreiter, Pia Rönicke, Christoph Schäfer, Sean Snyder, Alexander Timtschenko, Zoe Walker

"Going downtown" is commonly associated with shopping, entertainment, and nightlife. The term 'old town' refers to historic or re-historicized façades concealing passageways full of shops and fast-food chain restaurants. Cities have become theme parks in which urban facilities are judged by how well they comply with the demands of business and tourism, and in which image is remodelled according to political criteria. Urban life is thus expressed as staged consumption.

The exhibition project site-seeing: disneyfication of cities? revolves around the current changes occurring in urban realm, turning them into the subject of artistic and scientific analyses. site-seeing refers to examining spaces, analyzing important and/or historical sights and researching the images of cities. site-seeing is regarded as an observation mode: as site-seeing. The Künstlerhaus, situated on the periphery of Vienna's historic city centre, is a prime location for such an endeavour. Vienna becomes a case study in some artistic activities and the backdrop of this exhibition project.

TIMETABLE

'Revolution Non Stop',
daily 10am ­ 3pm., 20 min (loop), Non stop Film installation ­ Cinema Künstlerhaus (Entrance Akademiestraße) by Christoph Schäfer

'Playstation Vienna. Erobere Schritt für Schritt die Erlebniswelten dieser Stadt'
Meeting place: Künstlerhaus (Entrance Karlsplatz 5), 2pm.
Booking (max. 20 people) suggested. Duration 3 to 4 hours.

Please contact the Künstlerhaus 01 587 96 63 46 or site-seeing@k-haus.at

Friday 13 December 02, 2pm
Friday 17 January 03, 2pm
Friday 24 January 03, 2pm
Wednesday 05 February 03, 2pm
Friday 07 February 03, 2pm

Tour together with the curators through the exhibition

Sunday 12 January 03, 4pm
Sunday 19 January 03, 4pm
Sunday, 26 January 03, 4pm
Sunday 02 February 03, 4pm
Sunday 09 February 03, 4pm

series of lectures ----- dis-sites

The series of lectures will consist of five panels, each encompassing two lectures followed by a discussion. Topics of the lectures are interdisciplinary, referring to architecture, sociology, media, art and cultural theory. The choice of design and location of the "lecture spaces" will be up to the Office for Cognitive Urbanism. Each of the five panels will take place in a space in Vienna that forms a framework of reference for the respective topic.

I DISNEY WIEN
Thursday 09 January 03, 7pm ­ Frank Roost, Siegfried Mattl ­ Site: Kunsthalle am Karlsplatz: project space

II SPECTACLES
Thursday 16 January 03, 7pm ­ Regina Bittner, Jochen Becker ­ Site: ORF Centre

III PUBLIC-PRIVATE INTERFACE
Thursday 23 January 03, 7pm ­ Klaus Ronneberger, Margaret Crawford ­ Site: Moving Inn im Twin Tower

IV WIEN FICTION
Thursday 30 January 03, 7pm ­ John Urry, Jonathan Faiers ­ Site: Gasometer

V SCREENING
Thursday, 06 February 03, 7pm ­ Büro für kognitiven Urbanismus, Marie-Luise Angerer ­ Site: Zeiss Planetarium der Stadt Wien