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Innsbruck, an investigation

In 2018, INN SITU began its series by extending an invitation to one of the leading schools of contemporary photography. Students of Graphic Design and Book Design at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig (HGB) took a closer look at the setting in which our programme is embedded, the city of Innsbruck. This original investigation sprang from curiosity, from wondering how this young generation of artistic photographers would approach such an open but also exemplary subject. Using the photographic examination of a city as a practical example, we are able to contemplate current artistic strategies, their aesthetic patterns, the influence of theoretical discourses, and the addressing of the medium as a subject. A fertile ground of learning and experience as a space for contemporary photography.

Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Paris

Now, five years later, it is time to do it again: One of the most exciting European photography schools today is the Paris 8 University, where theory and practice are closely interlocked. Some of the most influential figures in twentieth-century European intellectual history have taught here, including Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, or Jacques Lacan.

One of the current lecturers is Arno Gisinger. The internationally renowned artistic photographer was born in Vorarlberg, studied in Innsbruck, and in resonance with this city has worked with Paris 8 University graduates to develop an exhibition and book.

Five different outside perspectives on Tyrol’s capital and five innovative approaches to the current practice of artistic photography by Florence Cardenti, Romain Darnaud, Gilberto Güiza-Rojas, Florian Schmitt, and Rachael Woodson.

A kaleidoscopic mirror that reveals deconstructed visual clichés and contemplates aspects of the city in poetic, political, or historical ways. Usually created in coproduction with institutions like the Brenner Archive, the Alpenverein, the Ferdinandeum, or the Tyrolean architecture center aut. architektur und tirol as well as with local individuals and archives.

Each of the speakers chooses a photograph from the exhibition and discusses it before and with the audience. An open dialogue between various perspectives, with music and inspired by the exhibition.

© Axel Springer

Wolfgang Andexlinger

has been in charge of the Office for Urban Planning, Urban Development, and Integration in Innsbruck since 2016. He studied architecture at the TU Wien (A) and TU Delft (NL). Until 2016 he taught in the Department of Urban Design and Land Use Planning at the University of Innsbruck, where he completed his doctorate and postdoctoral studies.

© Sam Vladimirsky

Arno Gisinger

has lived and worked as a freelance photographer, curator, and university instructor in Paris for the past 15 years. He worked with the graduates of his master class to develop the exhibition in conjunction with the current INN SITU project. The Dornbirn-born artist studied photography in Arles and history and German philology at the University of Innsbruck. In addition to teaching, he has, since the 90s, been developing multidisciplinary projects in which he links photography and historiography. His works have been shown internationally and are included in numerous collections.

© Rebecca Sandbichler

Rebecca Sandbichler

is the editor-in-chief of 20er, a street paper in Tyrol, and an authority on Innsbruck from a journalistic perspective. Some of the subjects she writes about include social policies, eco-social solutions, and art and culture. After graduating, the online journalist began her career in Germany with her own publishing projects and as managing editor at F.A.Z. Publishing.

© E. Sprenger

Bertram Brugger

studied percussion and instrumental pedagogy with Prof. Slavik Stakhov in Feldkirch. In addition to his work as a music teacher, he also plays in numerous orchestras and ensembles in Austria and abroad.