Public Movement is a Tel Aviv based ‘performative research body’. Through large-scale performances in the public realm they construct alternative arenas for the consideration of communal identities – national, religious and cultural – revitalising debate around the distribution of power.
Thanks to dramatic advances in drug therapy, infection with HIV has been transformed from a death sentence to a chronic, manageable disease. HIV-positive patients can even enjoy a normal life expectancy if treatment is successful. So we needn’t worry about this virus anymore, right? Sadly, that seems to be the misinformed idea held by many.
In September 2003 the news went out nationwide: Karlsplatz, one of Vienna's main squares, is soon to be renamed Nikeplatz. Apart from the new name, it appears that a huge monument in the shape of Nike's famous "Swoosh" logo will be built in Nikeplatz. Needless to say, it is all fake.
Foreigners out! Schlingensiefs Container (Ausländer raus! Schlingensiefs Container), alternately named "Wien-Aktion", "Please Love Austria—First European Coalition Week", or "Foreigners Out—Artists against Human Rights", is an art project and television show from 2000 that took place within the scope of the annual Wiener Festwochen. It was created by Christoph Schlingensief and directed by Paul Poet.
HIV is still among the top 10 leading causes of death in the world, ranking sixth with around 1.5 million deaths each year. Around 35 million people are currently infected with HIV, and cases are worryingly on the rise—it is far from old news. Determined to change this, a magazine has embarked on a bold new campaign in which 3,000 copies will be printed using ink mixed with HIV-infected blood.
"As of October 2009, Retznei boasts a new centre. In the middle of the square the black contours of a concrete surface stand out, reminiscent of the shape of a pond. If you step on the Platform, you notice that the ground gives slightly and that it sways. Invisibly but noticeably, water reveals itself as a key component of this art work by Michael Kienzer. The water carries the Platform and us, while we are walking or standing on it.