A forest on the pitch. Unending Attraction of Nature in Austrian football stadium
15/09/2019.
[Klagenfurt] Austria
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
‘FOR FOREST – The Unending Attraction of Nature’ a temporary art intervention by Klaus Littmann has transformed the Wörthersee Football Stadium in Klagenfurt, Austria, into a native central European forest, with almost 300 trees, some weighing up to six tons each, carefully installed on the existing pitch, a space designed for up to 30,000 spectators.
Rallying in support of today’s most pressing issues on climate change and deforestation, FOR FOREST aims to challenge our perception of nature and question its future. It seeks to become a memorial, reminding us that nature, which we so often take for granted, may someday only be found in specially designated spaces, as is already the case with animals in zoos.
Rallying in support of today’s most pressing issues on climate change and deforestation, FOR FOREST aims to challenge our perception of nature and question its future. It seeks to become a memorial, reminding us that nature, which we so often take for granted, may someday only be found in specially designated spaces, as is already the case with animals in zoos.
Klaus Littmann „FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria (Day). Photograph by UNIMO Studios
Max Peintner, "Die ungebrochene Anziehungskraft der Natur", pencil drawing 1970/71. Imagen de Max Peintner
View from inside. Klaus Littmann „FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
View from inside. Klaus Littmann „FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
View from inside. Klaus Littmann „FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
View from inside. Klaus Littmann „FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
View from inside. Klaus Littmann „FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
Klaus Littmann „FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria (Day). Photograph by UNIMO Studios
Night view from inside. Klaus Littmann "FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard MaurerNight view from inside. Klaus Littmann „FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
Klaus Littmann "FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
Klaus Littmann "FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria (Night). Photograph by UNIMO Studios
Night view from inside. Klaus Littmann "FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
Night view from inside. Klaus Littmann "FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
Night view from inside. Klaus Littmann "FOR FOREST - The Unending Attraction of Nature“, Art intervention 2019, Wörthersee Stadium Klagenfurt | Austria. Photograph by Gerhard Maurer
Portrait of Klaus Littmann with "The Unending Attraction of Nature" by Max Peintner. Photograph by Emmanuel Fradin
Max Peintner, "The Unending Attraction of Nature", pencil drawing, 1970/71, hand-coloured by Klaus Littmann in 2018, unique print from series. Image © Max Peintner
The works was Inspired by The Unending Attraction of Nature, a dystopian drawing by Austrian artist and architect Max Peintner (b. 1937) that Littmann discovered almost thirty years ago.
After the free art intervention at the stadium ends on 27 October 2019, the forest will be carefully replanted on a public site in close proximity to Wörthersee Stadium at a scale of 1:1 and remain as a living ‘forest sculpture’. Parallel to this, a pavilion is planned in order to document the project for the long-term.
Overseen by Enea Landscape Architecture, the forest is composed of a diverse range of species such as silver birch, alder, aspen, white willow, hornbeam, field maple and common oak. Once transplanted the forest will take on a life of its own, changing colours as the season turns and attract wildlife.
Encountering FOR FOREST will trigger a multiplicity of responses and emotions, and depending on the time of day or night the trees will form an ever-changing landscape. This captivating panorama will pave the way for a whole new perspective and understanding of forests.
FOR FOREST is the trigger for a vibrant programme of related satellite events and exhibitions across the city of Klagenfurt. One of the highlights is the joint exhibition Touch Wood at the Museum of Modern Art in Carinthia (MMKK) and at the Stadtgalerie. The Wulfenia Cinema and CineCity have organised a specially curated film programme which explores the themes of nature and the environment, and includes screenings of Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo, Werner Boote’s Plastic Planet and Jan Haft’s The Green Planet. Entry to the film screenings is free for the duration of FOR FOREST.
More information
Dates
From 8 September to 27 October 2019.
Venue
Wörthersee Stadium Südring 207. 9020 Klagenfurt Austria.
Open daily 10am – 10pm including public holidays.
Klaus Littmann
Klaus Littmann. Born in 1951, Klaus Littmann lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. Littmann studied at Düsseldorf Art Academy with Joseph Beuys and established himself as a mediator of contemporary art. He made his name through unique solo and group exhibitions positioned in diverse contexts. After many years working within gallery and museum spaces, he started presenting theme oriented art exhibitions in the public arena. Underlying each of his complex and unique projects is a dichotic tension highlighting the artist’s preoccupation with everyday culture and the confrontation between contemporary art and urban spaces. Littmann's ability to discover previously unknown creative talent as well as collaborating with internationally known artists is the determinant quality factor in every project delivered by Littmann Culture Projects.
Over eighty art projects realized by Littmann have been documented in catalogues and books, including the acclaimed selective public space projects City Sky, 2008: Daniel Buren, Renate Buser, Nathan Carter, Subodh Gupta, Peter Kogler, etc; Engel 2002: Tazro Niscino, Strassenbilder, 2003, Skultur, 2000, Frontside, 2001, Kulturgüterwagen, 1991, Move for Life (Basel, Lyon, Paris, 2006- 2011) Public Viewing (Shanghai, 2007): Robert Rauschenberg, Daniele Buetti, Ben Vautier et al. A selection of internationally renowned artists Littmann has worked with include: Christo & Jeanne- Claude, Tony Cragg, Guillaume Bijl, César, Jean Tinguely, Dieter Roth, Leon Golub, Keith Haring, Michel Blazy, Job Koelewijn, Daniel Buren, Subodh Gupta, Daniel Spoerri, Niki de Saint Phalle, Peter Kogler, Katharina Sieverding, among many others.
Past projects in public spaces include Jardin des Planètes (Basel, 2018); Real Fiction Cinema (Switzerland, 2010-2012); Real Fiction Cinema (Shanghai, 2015); Real Fiction Cinema (Dongguan, China, 2016); Move for Life (Paris, 2011); Move for Life (Biennale de Lyon, 2011); Public Viewing (Shanghai, 2007); Senteurs et couleurs du Maroc (Marrakech, Foundation Dar Bellarj, 2000) and Un mois de lecture des Bâlois with César (Basel, 1996).
Past exhibitions and installations include: Paris Sans Fin (Cecina, Italy, 2018); Faces of Football (Vigo & La Coruña, Spain, 2008); Kultort Stadion (Basel, 2003 & Barcelona, 2008); Christo & Jeanne- Claude (Madrid, 2006); Keith Haring Editions on Paper (Madrid, Vitoria & Valencia, Spain, 2005- 2006); Neuer Supermarkt with Guillaume Bijl (Basel, 1998); China Now (1996) and Keith Haring Editions on Paper (Hiroshima, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Japan, 1994); Fussball in der Vitrine (Switzerland, 1982 & Vienna, 1993) and Drogen – Welt in Trance (Switzerland, 1991 & Austria, 1993); Unnatural Bodies, Jim Whiting installation (Basel, Zürich, Köln, 1988 & Berlin, 1989); and Das Auto in der Vitrine (Basel, 2005-2006, Frankfurt, 1983 & Thun, 1985).
In 2002, Klaus Littmann was awarded the Cultural Award of the City of Basel.
Over eighty art projects realized by Littmann have been documented in catalogues and books, including the acclaimed selective public space projects City Sky, 2008: Daniel Buren, Renate Buser, Nathan Carter, Subodh Gupta, Peter Kogler, etc; Engel 2002: Tazro Niscino, Strassenbilder, 2003, Skultur, 2000, Frontside, 2001, Kulturgüterwagen, 1991, Move for Life (Basel, Lyon, Paris, 2006- 2011) Public Viewing (Shanghai, 2007): Robert Rauschenberg, Daniele Buetti, Ben Vautier et al. A selection of internationally renowned artists Littmann has worked with include: Christo & Jeanne- Claude, Tony Cragg, Guillaume Bijl, César, Jean Tinguely, Dieter Roth, Leon Golub, Keith Haring, Michel Blazy, Job Koelewijn, Daniel Buren, Subodh Gupta, Daniel Spoerri, Niki de Saint Phalle, Peter Kogler, Katharina Sieverding, among many others.
Past projects in public spaces include Jardin des Planètes (Basel, 2018); Real Fiction Cinema (Switzerland, 2010-2012); Real Fiction Cinema (Shanghai, 2015); Real Fiction Cinema (Dongguan, China, 2016); Move for Life (Paris, 2011); Move for Life (Biennale de Lyon, 2011); Public Viewing (Shanghai, 2007); Senteurs et couleurs du Maroc (Marrakech, Foundation Dar Bellarj, 2000) and Un mois de lecture des Bâlois with César (Basel, 1996).
Past exhibitions and installations include: Paris Sans Fin (Cecina, Italy, 2018); Faces of Football (Vigo & La Coruña, Spain, 2008); Kultort Stadion (Basel, 2003 & Barcelona, 2008); Christo & Jeanne- Claude (Madrid, 2006); Keith Haring Editions on Paper (Madrid, Vitoria & Valencia, Spain, 2005- 2006); Neuer Supermarkt with Guillaume Bijl (Basel, 1998); China Now (1996) and Keith Haring Editions on Paper (Hiroshima, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Japan, 1994); Fussball in der Vitrine (Switzerland, 1982 & Vienna, 1993) and Drogen – Welt in Trance (Switzerland, 1991 & Austria, 1993); Unnatural Bodies, Jim Whiting installation (Basel, Zürich, Köln, 1988 & Berlin, 1989); and Das Auto in der Vitrine (Basel, 2005-2006, Frankfurt, 1983 & Thun, 1985).
In 2002, Klaus Littmann was awarded the Cultural Award of the City of Basel.
Max Peintner
Max Peintner. (b. 1937, in Hall in Tirol, Austria) Max Peintner lives and works in Vienna. He studied civil engineering at the Technical College of Vienna as well as architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. In 1964 he published together with Heinz Geretsegger the monography «Otto Wagner 1841–1918, unbegrenzte Großstadt, Beginn der modernen Architektur» (Residenz Verlag). In 1969 he published his first drawings with the title "Contributions to the Future. Critics of Technology and Civilisation under the Guise of Utopia". In 1972 some of Peintner's works were exposed in the art gallery of Baden-Baden. In 1977 the documenta 6 showed some of his works. In 1986 he represented Austria at the Biennale di Venezia together with Karl Pranti.
Peintner’s works have been shown in different solo and group exhibitions such as in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (1982), in the Rupertinum in Salzburg (1985/1986), in the Museion in Bozen (1989) and in the Ludwig Kortárs Múvészeti Múzeum in Budapest (1996/1997).
The Neue Galerie in Graz dedicated a retrospective to him in 2000. One of Peintner’s pencil drawings from 1974 is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Arts in New York.
Peintner’s works have been shown in different solo and group exhibitions such as in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (1982), in the Rupertinum in Salzburg (1985/1986), in the Museion in Bozen (1989) and in the Ludwig Kortárs Múvészeti Múzeum in Budapest (1996/1997).
The Neue Galerie in Graz dedicated a retrospective to him in 2000. One of Peintner’s pencil drawings from 1974 is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Arts in New York.
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