Wonderland

The project leadership of a European architecture network is not something one does every day. The network grew from 11 Austrian to 99 European architecture firms. The initial exhibition and accompanying workshops took me to 9 countries. The exchange of experiences during this time was priceless.

 

Wonderland shaped me intensely. Personally and as a European.

In September 2002, eleven architecture teams, all of whom have Carinthian roots, started the Wonderland project with an exhibition at the Fundernovum in St. Veit an der Glan. The idea, was to create a collective identity under the name of Wonderland. Therefore a flexible, modular exhibition system was developed. It was the beginning of a self-organized network, based on personal contacts and common passions.

 

Between 2002 and 2003 the exhibition travelled to three Austrian locations: St.Veit/Glan, Vienna and Graz. In the fall of 2003 Wonderland became an association.

 

The success of the exhibition in Austria prompted the continuation of the project in the form of a tour through eight European countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia). In each country, 11 local teams were invited to join the exhibition and perform on the Wonderland landscape. The number of pixels of each team decreased with each exhibition, while the number of teams grew. The resulting exhibition showed an increasing density of information about the young European architecture landscape.

 

The European Wonderland Tour started in Bratislava in June 2004. The stops included Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Zagreb, Ljubljana and with a final exhibition and closing event in Vienna in June, and in St. Veit/Glan in September, 2006.

 

At each exhibition stop, a workshop took place. The topics were always related to the working conditions of young upcoming architectural offices in Europe. The workshops were the basis for the publicationWonderland. Manual for Emerging Architects.

 

The platform still exists and has grown into a well-established European network.

 

 

> www.wonderland.cx