After successful completion of the course, students are able to analyze a transit and cultural landscape and its transformations, to understand the problematic relationship between the expectations of guests, hosts and the local population, and to better classify the role of art, design, architecture and landscape design between marketing (destination branding) and everyday life. They also learn about the experiences of other art festivals in rural transit areas and learn to develop their own interventions that relate to the specific location, the landscape and its history.

Today, Semmering is considered a summer recreation area for the Viennese and a relatively nearby ski resort for its neighbors in Slovakia and Hungary, which unsuccessfully tries to build on its grand past with its sophisticated palace hotels and villas for the upper middle classes. However, the Semmering only came into play as a tourist attraction with the construction of the Semmering Railway, as a by-product of an important rail link between Vienna and Trieste and between coal and iron ore mining regions and heavy industry locations, the latter of which were massively expanded by rail at the foot of the Semmering. This Semmering landscape, now extended to include the valleys and side valleys, is today largely characterized by transnational transit and regional commuter traffic, which will be accelerated and intensified by the current construction of the Semmering Base Tunnel - to the advantage or disadvantage of the region(s)?

Over the decades, railroad construction sites, highways, heavy industry and tourism have developed different working conditions here, and the landscape has also been physically reshaped due to massive earth movements and buildings.

In this design class, sketches of ideas for new narratives about this expanded Semmering region(s), history- and site-related artistic interventions, but also significant landscape architectural and structural measures are to be developed, which contribute to increasing identity, making the landscape more attractive and therefore to a new self-critical to optimistic perception of others and oneself (by tourists and residents alike). These reflections and visions are to be published in the form of an illustrated magazine - ideally in combination with an exhibition and/or initial markings in the landscape. The expectations of art projects and festivals in rural regions, which are often characterized by misunderstandings, will be discussed between tools for questioning and finding identity and regional tourism marketing (as in the current Capital of Culture project).

Presentation of best case examples of works of other artists/architects in similar tasks by the lecturers and external guests. Analysis and critique of these reference projects.

Mandatory joint excursion to the field of study. Independent field research, through social interactions and visual reports, research on the stories of the places

Draft in sketches, plans and models and possibly as a 1:1 intervention - in any case a written and visual presentation for a printable magazine at the end.

Presentation and discussion of the design of the intervention and a booklet in a final exhibition