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From the
radio: "Most of time we are just surrounded by it, without taking any notice of it.
The country in which you live is a physical as well as an intellectual living space, which
is internalized. Things such as the values, norms, media, the language, urban legends,
peoples behavior, and the very mood on the streets. How a country represents itself
depends on what they have learned to see as their own; a cultural typical of themselves.
We can recognize the representational forms of a country, by seeing see what it likes and
where it chooses to see its reflection in order to portray itself. But this image can only
be complete when all that is masked or hidden, is included. Even the style of clothing
will reveal more than one would assume about the nakedness underneath."
Rolf Schwendter: "When I think of Austria as a representative, then I would say its a
synchronicity of pyramids and primordial ooze. OK, so this here would be the pyramids and
that would be the primordial ooze. It could also be assembled differently, you could cut
up this image and piece it together again."
Statistician: "Austria has a total area of 84,000 km sq. It makes up one percent of
Europe and a half thousandth of the earth’s surface. Eight million people live here,
every 750th of humankind."
Barbara Neuwirth: "When I picture Austria, I see it as a tort on the map, which has a
spoon stuck in it. The eastern larger part, that’s the tort, and to the west, which
is mountainous, is the spoon greedily stuck in the tart. Sweet, very sweet."
Marianne Gruber: "If Austria were a watercolor painting; it would be very blurry with
colors running into each other and dripping down the canvas without any specific borders.
I wouldn’t know in advance what I was painting or what it’s actually supposed to
become."
Raoul Schrott: "What is "Austrian" supposed to mean other than the
self-discovery of an inferiority complex to the Germans across the way; for example, or
because of their Neutrality, or even the Danube Waltz? No wait, when I think of a hotel,
there are these wooden beds and rooms with these sinks inside, and even an old filthy
carpet thrown in the middle of the room. That is the connection with Austria, a little bit
grubby, yes, grubby!! Its rather depressing. It’s more a dark brown color and a
little dusty, all over the sort of greasy upholstery, where a million people have already
sat."
Rolf Schwendter: "The pyramids represent the strong ruling which is highly respected
in Austria. All of the main figures in the economy have the own special titles for
themselves: Mr. Counselor of Commerce, Mr. Professor or Mr. Aulic Counselor, etc etc. The
primordial ooze would represent the constant yet smooth changes, back and forth without a
specific vision or specific intention. It would also be like the Lord God in
correspondence with every man, letting them be who they want. The primordial ooze or
anything else comparable to them appear often in the metaphors that symbolize Austria.
However I would still say that it’s not sufficient."
Statistician: "The things that the Austrian men and women consider to be a
representation of their country are: their traditions, the mountains, the lakes, and its
many historical buildings. As well as the Choir boys, the Stephans Dome, the Lipizzaner
Horses, and the Wiener Schnitzel."
A schoolgirls poem:
"Oh Austria, Oh Austria,
You are full of sights to see.
You already have over a 1000 years of history,
And there are many poems that have been written.
You have endured many of wars,
But they have never been able to harm you.
The breathtaking Mountains, Lakes, and Meadows,
Will be yearly praised by many tourists.
To live in this Country is a pleasure,
I can also say to you, one must cherish such a homeland."
Robert Menasse: "So now we are entering Bad Ischl. For example, this is where I went
to the Movie theater for the first time in my life. I also went to a coffee house here for
the first time in Bad Ischl. It was Cafe Zauner. Those are just some obvious things that
were sufficient enough to be a Substitute or Derivative to allow one to be able to get
through the feelings of attachment one has to ones own country. Luis Trenkers battle with
the Matterhorn! There it was, at the Lehar Film Theater. That’s were I saw the
newsreel report about the Olympiad in Rome for the first time in Slow Motion. And
that’s the way I thought the Athletes really ran. I thought running in slow motion
was its own sport; its own Olympic discipline. Us kids in Boarding School tried to then
learn it.
What was also interesting, was that our
Boarding school had their own findings about the sport in a former Hotel. That was where
you learned to read and write, and the only other thing we read besides our schoolbooks
were these huge marble plaques. These plaques had names of all the Kaisers, Kings, Counts
and Barons, who had stayed in this particular hotel. This was in a special way for me an
indirect reality of the Monarchy."
(...)
Translated by Lauren Brooks
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