Around and about in Linz

So Robyn Woolston (www.robynwoolston.com POST colleague) and I have arrived at the Salzamt this evening. The otherwise rather grotty Ryan-air flight was brightened by a coincidental meeting with a Linz artist returning home. Peter Arlt (www.peterarlt.at) has just done a 6 month residency with Liverpool Biennial part of the same ‘Urban Intervention’ program that has supported our residency in Linz. Strangely there has been little crossover between Peter and us in POST, Robyn and I were keen to rectify this by making best use of our plane flight. Peter is a fascinating artist/sociologist and we had a very interesting discussion about some of the pitfalls of the cultural regeneration agenda, so often imposed in a top down manner rather than emanating from the ‘locals’. Liverpool particularly has been scarred by the housing market renewal agenda – where vast swathes of housing have been subject to wholesale demolition. A questionable idea in my book at the best of times, but now large chunks of these areas are looking as if they will remain barren for some time as the bottom of the economy falls into oblivion. How as an artist do you start to engage with the damage this causes communities without resorting to trite, cliched or short-term novelty?

It was wonderful to arrive in the Salzamt and see Maeda Haruko, a Japanese artist based in Linz. Haruko is part of POST’s exchange with artists based here and has a studio in the Salzamt just above our room here. It feels such a short time since she was in Liverpool for the opening of the show at the Bluecoat – I feel a bit like I am operating in accelerated time at the moment. Another day gone. Another week gone. Another month gone.

Robyn and I have a compact room flat to share which is just upstairs from our studio space in the Salzamt. One of the last POST ladies here left us a little note and bar of chocolate as a welcome welcoming present. I even got a chance to practise my German tonight “einen cheesecake bitte” – should be fluent soon….