Wien on Screen

An exhibition by school pupils, developed in collaboration with experts in cultural studies as part of a film and media studies project. Historical film telling of Vienna in various ways forms the starting point for research and self-created short videos. Thus the “imaginary topography” of the filmed city is set in relation to the spatial experiences of youths in their urban daily life.

It is above all ephemeral films that inspired the pupils: traffic films made by the City of Vienna from the 1960s; an amateur film with footage of everyday life from 1938; Hans Scheugl’s filmic tour of Hernals of 1967; an amateur film by two Italian tourists from 1960; and an Actionist film made by a group of architects on the redesign of the Lerchenfelderstraße station dated 1970.

What these films have in common is a perspective on the city that counters the clichés found in feature films and the power of their effect. On view are the original films, and the short films and reworked versions made by the youngsters as a reaction to these. In addition there are photographs and drawn “mental mappings” of the urban space.

The online database “stadtfilm-wien” (or “City Film Vienna”) allows access to around 100 films about Vienna, including the pupils’ work.

Information is available at www.stadtfilm-wien.at (Web launch on March 28, 2012).

A cooperation between Haizingergasse Grammar School, Theresianum School, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for History and Society, and the Austrian Film Museum as part of the project “Sparkling Science”.