Two Faces of a Transformation

arhitect Tanja Kogler
project Kuća, Atelijer i kuća za goste, Goričko, Prekmurje, Slovenija
written by Vera Grimmer

 

For decades, the area of southern Burgenland, on the border with Slovenian Prekmurje, has been attracting Austrian artists who have found places of work and leisure in the former rural households. A peculiarity in the artistic sense presents here the domicile of charismatic Walter Pichler, who built homes on his property – dwellings for his Creatures – anthropomorphic objects of clay and straw, wood and metal, once shown at the Venice Biennale. Across the border, in the Goričko Nature Park, there are also numerous possibilities for settlement of abandoned farms. Multimedia artist Peter Kogler and his wife, architect Tanja Rainer found such a farm near the town of Grad, with ruined buildings, but expansive meadows and woods. Although both come from the westernmost Austrian Alpine provinces, here in Goričko they found their ideal landscape. They entered the modest rural environment in a manner that is characterized by ethics in both architectural and social aspect – the neighbors became their friends and collaborators