28.02.11

Today was an early start to beat the queue for registration. We had to go to the TU to take the forms that we had signed off on Friday into university to receive our ‘Ausweis fur Studierende’ (student ID card). Our student card is simply a piece of card with our photograph stapled on and stamped, but is essential as we were also given our ‘Matrikelnummer’. We then had to take this along with a receipt given to us to a bank and pay a fee which means we register as a student. Once paid we apparently have to wait for a sticker which is the final stage of the process of becoming an ‘official’ student.

With the Matrikelnummer we were able to log on to the university system. The online system has a list of courses; I had to begin the tedious task of selecting the relevant courses, reading the descriptions, checking what language it was taught in, how many credits the course was worth and write down the reference number. To sign up to courses you have to apply for a place as these are restricted; although the times of where and when they would be taught were not on the system. I will never complain about university registration or timetables in the UK again!

The advantage of this system in the long run is that you can effectively formulate your own timetable and can choose however many credits you want to cover. Although I must admit that this system in the short term, is time consuming and complicated (especially if you are new to it).

Our fellow students, Paul and Niall from Portsmouth who studied at the TU last year had been kind enough to warn and advise us about the system but too be honest I did not think it could be that complicated; I was wrong. Another problem lay in the fact that many of the courses online were already full and had long waiting lists as well! Tomorrow we have an introduction session with the Deans from the faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning. It was a draining day and I hope a number of questions can be answered tomorrow!

25.02.11

Today I begun my registration at university. Initially we had to register online to receive a ‘sequence number.’ With this we were able to attend an introduction session with Dr. Pitzek. Walking up to the TU, the past few days of sight seeing disappeared from my mind as the reality of the situation hit home. We found ourselves waiting alongside a number of other students for Dr. Pitzek to call us in. The mood soon changed as he began to talk to us, I felt calm again; he explained that today was simply a chance for him to explain the process the university goes through with registering and for us to ask any questions that we had. He was clear and methodical and had a fantastic sense of humour. Any worries or nerves I may have had disappeared. At the end of the session we had to sign our forms and these were stamped for us, ready for our enrolment on Monday!

Later that evening we celebrated Taryn’s 21^st birthday. A group of her friends had organised ‘Wein und Kaiser in Kandlegasse’. The common room space in Kandlegasse is a fantastic venue, with an open plan room equipped with a small kitchen, sofas, tables and a television. I arrived with my flatmate Victor to a jolly crowd enjoying the wine and cheese and we immediately began to get to talk and engage with the other students. There was a large number of students that I had not met before and once again the range of countries that people had travelled from was astounding. The evening flew by and we were ready to move onto a night club, the large group ventured on and we all enjoyed a fantastic night of drinking and dancing until the early hours of the morning.

24.02.11

Today I went to visit the ‘Hundertwasser - Krawina House’ with my parents. I was introduced to Hundertwasser’s art work when I was in my first year of secondary school. I was always fascinated by his dream like imagery. The colourful swirls, extensive variety of patterns and playful imagery he used always seemed intriguing. Hundertwasser (1928-2000) enjoyed painting organic forms and you can seem glimpses of influences from Klimt to Gaudi in his work.

As we approached the ‘Hundertwasser - Krawina House’ his style was instantly recognisable. The building on the corner of Lowengasse and Kegelgasse was definitely in contrast to its surrounding buildings. His flowing lines and striking colour scheme was his attempt to strike a blow against what he saw was a soulless modern architecture. The array of irregular shaped windows, uneven trails of broken ceramic tiles along the facades and combination of sculptural objects had a direct relation to his dreamy paintings I remembered from school.

An aspect of the playful facade along Kegelgasse

I enjoyed the playful organic shapes and powerful colours; everywhere I looked I discovered another interesting detail. Mosaique animals, details such as drain mouths and even a compass showed the rich variety and detailing that went into this building. You could feel the artist’s presence on site as he must have been overlooking all these fascinating aspects. Hundertwasser also felt that the dialogue between art, architecture and nature was very important. He worked alongside architect Josef Krawina, one of the first architects in Vienna to adopt green roofs who also felt that old building façade’s should be preserved. The building is made up of 50 residential units that vary in size from around 50 to 150 square meters, each have their own unique character and style, no one being the same as another. Due to the fact that these homes are lived in, the interior is not accessible to visitors but from seeing images, the exterior’s personality is only amplified in the interior.

The green elements are very powerful tools in the design. ‘Tree tenants’ are visible reaching up from the rooftops from the 16 private terraces and 3 communal roof top gardens, offering residents access to nature, peace and calm under the open skies.

The combination of artistic and architectural elements was breathtaking and urged me to seek out more of his gems.

The commemorative facade of the house that once stood, moulded into the new

Later that evening I had to wish my parents farewell. I was so happy to have had them visit and be able to see my living arrangements, enjoy the rich surroundings I now had living in Vienna and to share some fantastic experiences with me. They played a huge part in encouraging me and supporting me in coming to Vienna and for that, I am forever grateful.

23.02.11

Once again my day started by meeting my parents at the Belvedere. We had unfinished business – to see the Gusatav Klimt paintings. We made our way up the Upper Belvedere which has an impressive collection of art dating from the Middle-Ages to the present day. This is also the home to the largest Gustav Klimt collection including ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Judith’. As we walked slowly through the collection, my eye was caught by the unmistakable technique and colour pallet of Claude Monet; viewing such a master of the paintbrush at such a close distance was one of the highlights of my day. The grand rooms and intricate detailing of the walls and ceilings could not detract my eye from his work. The way the pieces change as you move through the room and towards the paintings is a real inspiration. Seeing his work also reminded me that seeing images in books never gives you a real sense of scale and this was reinforced by seeing his work on a range of different size canvases. There were a number of stunning works and fantastic artists; the range was wonderful. Seeing Jacques-Louis David’s painting of ‘Napoleon Crossing the Alps’ was another unmistakable image that I remember seeing so many times in books, this was the first time I could understand the real size and depth of the piece.

Seeing Klimt’s work was special. The collection showed a variety of styles, from a set of pointillist landscapes to portraits and masterpieces. I had always associated Klimt with his famous paintings using gold leaf to add depth, but in this collection you could see a clear progression of an artist who had developed his techniques through a number of styles. What was clear was the reoccurring themes throughout his work; the delicate patterns and deep colours were mesmerising. Going to the Belvedere and its collection is a definite recommendation!

Standing in the entrance hall of the Upper Belvedere

My parents and I braved the cold and decided to make our way towards Adolf Loos’s ‘American Bar’. The bar is situated on a small side street just off Kartner Strasse just south of Stephensplatz. Stepping into the bar, my first impression was that it was quite a large space due to the seemingly endless array of freestanding columns. After a second or two I realised that this was actually the illusion given by mirrors covering the whole width of the bar, the parallel wall and back wall. The tiny bar immediately drew us in with a smile. The mahogany panels alongside marble and onyx stone created a unique environment. The dark materials juxtaposed with the glowing bar tables and smokey atmosphere had us sinking into our seats. I had seen photographs but once again these do not give justice to such a place, the details from the counter, to drinks cabinets and the bar surface only become real when sitting in the bar. The thought and realisation that such a small area could be so well designed set a challenge in my mind; good architecture has no size restrictions. I am definitely returning to the bar armed with a sketch book.

Inside the American Bar

We left the bar reluctantly and ventured into the cold to find a place to eat. A small restaurant down a small alley was teaming with people. The place was so busy that we were squeezed onto a table; we realised why it was so popular when the food came. They were serving the largest Wiener Schnitzel I have ever seen alongside other wholesome Austrian dishes.

I returned home to find my flat mate had moved in, Victor Gomes from Portugal studying electrical engineering. I was met with a huge smile and a friendly handshake, he spoke to me in perfect English explaining that his German was very basic – this was a relief and I replied that we were in the same situation. We sat down and immediately started to talk, discussing everything from languages to football to food and drink. We sat for hours and neither of us realised the time fly by. I was very happy to be lucky enough to live with such a nice person.

Another fantastic day and once again I return home very tired and ready for bed, a good sleep is needed to be ready for tomorrows adventures.

22.02.11

This morning I went to meet my parents at the Belvedere, one of the world’s finest Baroque landmarks. It is made up of the Upper and Lower Belvedere Palaces and was designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrant for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The building was completed in the 18^th century and was a summer residence for the Prince, with beautiful and extensive gardens landscaped into the grounds.

The Belvedere art collection is one admired across the world.

My parents outside the Upper Belvedere Palace

The two temporary exhibitions that were being held were ‘Dynamik’ and ‘Egon Schiele self-portraits and portraits’. For me the most exciting was the ‘Dynamik’ exhibition which was showing a range of work from the Cubist, Futurist and Kineticist movements. I had studied these movements at school in art and history of art and my personal art work was and is, very much influenced by these and similar movements. Kineticism was the Viennese reaction to the Cubist and Italian Futurist movements which began to develop in Europe around 1918.

The works on display showed a range of interesting pieces, most focusing on movement in dance, theatre and travel. Franz Cizek was an important mentor and teacher to the Viennese Kineticist artists, he required art to express a dynamic sensation ‘Everything is moving, everything is flowing, it is all happening at terrific speed.’ The exhibition managed to achieve this with its 45 international masterpieces with highlights of the Austrian avant-garde. I particularly enjoyed the fact that many of the works I had never seen or heard of before but all were beautiful examples of the innovative movements. I was also interested in the range of presentation techniques used as when you looked more closely beyond the frames, I realised that many of the works were actually on bits of old cardboard, butter paper and a range of other materials. This gave a real essence of the artist’s process of working and revealed a range of wonderful techniques. The rhythm and movement of the pieces were an inspiration as each piece revealed a different story; the urge to return with my sketch book took hold.

A view looking towards the Lower Belvedere Palace and Vienna cityscape

We then moved onto the Schiele exhibition. The exhibition is the first to focus on his portraits and self portraits. Egon Schiele (1890-1918) began working in an academic style before exploring other techniques of drawing and painting. As he moves on from this, his work captures his model’s mental state in a way that is characteristic of early Austrian Expressionism.

The exhibition began with some of his early works which showed a more classic style of sketching and painting, this emphasized his progression and development of work on display. Many of the works I had not seen before and I was drawn into his unique and sometimes quite moving style. The self portraits highlighted his engagement with trying to discover himself and his forever shifting mental state. As I walked around the exhibition I noticed something particularly interesting that I had not thought about before; it was that In my opinion his greatest talent was in actually stopping and leaving his paintings in what some people may describe as an ‘unfinished’ state. The talent to be able to draw and paint certain elements and to leave the subject not only made the figures more powerful but meant that the composition was even more intriguing to the eye. This technique of knowing exactly what is needed as the piece develops; keeping the balance, without ‘completing’ it is astonishing. This is a mistake that I have made on many occasions, always adding and wanting to ‘complete’ my compositions (and a number of times actually spoiling it) when in fact sometimes only the most subtle of touches or elements are necessary.

Later that evening my parents took me out to a beautiful bar and restaurant on the top floor of the do&co hotel situated just next to St.Stephens Cathedral. This really was a special; the ambiance and stunning views of the cathedral were breathtaking. The food and drinks were delicious and to be able to spend the evening in Vienna with my parents in such a wonderful place was fantastic. The evening was an unbelievable experience that I will never forget.

My parents returned to their hotel and I made my way home, it had been a very busy day and my favourite so far since arriving in Vienna!

My parents and I at the do&co bar

21.02.11

Today my parents arrived in Vienna! I was extremely happy to see them and to show them where I was living and the quality of life out here. They were pleased to see that I had settled in and had been keeping busy. We had a long talk and I filled them in on everything that I had been up to and we had a lovely afternoon. Later they went to explore the city and I prepared myself for an evening out with a group of Erasmus students.

Mama and I in the Molkereistrasse Entrance Hall

Ellen, Leanne and I made our way to the Kandlgasse halls of residence. Kandlgasse is the newest and by far the most impressive of the halls. I was stunned as I thought where I was living was luxury! The passive house offers 105 single rooms in a variety of living arrangements from 1 to 4 bed flats. They have an average size of 14m² and large rectangular windows letting natural light flood in. The building is also equipped with photovoltaic panels on the roof. The building has a communal area just as you enter into the residence from the street, the clean white walls and exposed services (very minimal – due to it being a passive house) create a clean cut and friendly atmosphere. I was surprised at how well the students had managed to maintain the building, with no scuff marks on the walls and no visible defects. I believe that the design and clean cut finishes demands respect from its residents and has done so very successfully!

We went up to meet Taryn and she introduced us to her group of friends. There was a great buzz amongst everybody in the orange kitchen/ living area. There were students from a range of countries such as the USA, Netherlands, France, Spain and the list went on. Most of the individuals were on different courses but I realised how comfortable I felt in a room with strangers; we had all made the same decision to come to Vienna to study and therefore all had a common ground to build on. After we got to know each other and had had a few drinks, we made our way to ‘Ride’ a club next to ‘Loco’ which was also under the arches. The arch heights in Ride were much higher than in Loco, the double height space reached the full length of the club except for a V.I.P balcony area at the back; and in some areas you could even see the exposed supporting rib-vaults. The atmosphere was friendly with many different languages being spoken and an excited crowd of young students enjoying the music and dancing until the early hours of the morning.

The wonderful group of Erasmus students I had met - Ride Club

20.02.11

Today I woke up feeling better, still not fully recovered but had enough energy to venture to Karlsplatz to meet Ellen. Karlsplatz is where the ‘Technische Universität’ is situated and is only a 10 minute journey on the U-Bahn from Messer-Prater station. This was my first glimpse of where I will be studying, and I was very impressed!

The university was founded as the ‘K.K. Polyteschnisches Institut’ in 1815; the name was later changed to the ‘Technische Hochschule’ in 1872, and in 1975 became the ‘Technische Universität Wien’ – TU. It is said that the TU is among the most successful technical universities in Europe and is the largest in Austria.

The grand building is a dominant feature as you exit the station, the surrounding landscaped park was empty due to the cold weather but we could sense the potential hustle and bustle of the area on a week day.

Technische Universitat Wien

We then ventured around to get to know the area and the other university buildings but due to it being a Sunday they were shut, but at least we will be able to orientate ourselves on our first day.

As we walked around, we stumbled across a ‘Kunsthalle’ (art hall) which had an exhibition on with a rather striking name - ‘Fuck that Chicken from Popeyes’. We decided to have a look around. The exhibition was a combination of projections onto images; with objects placed within the space which itself was filled with leaves, dirt and bits of rubbish. I was not too impressed to be honest and began to question the meaning of the images of circus acts, popular American foods and settings. Even after reading the guide I could not understand the exhibition and struggled to see the aesthetic or psychological background to it. It felt random and not very well presented but had managed to provoke my thoughts. When leaving, a gentleman told us to come back once it was dark as the exhibition and projections would only come to life then. We did not give it another chance I am afraid.

Following the exhibition Ellen and I enjoyed Austrian café culture and watched the world go by for a few hours. Ellen then received a text message from her flatmate inviting us to the ballet to see ‘Die Fledermaus’, so we decided to go!

The ‘Wiener Staatsoper’ dates back to the mid 19^th Century. It was designed by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Null; building commenced in 1861 and was completed in 1869. The presence of the Neo-Renaissance style building is truly exceptional; it was beautifully lit and was drawing people of the street by the second.

Outside the Vienna State Opera House

We paid €3 for standing tickets on the second floor balcony – I was shocked at how cheap it was and my previous preconceptions of going to such places disappeared with the realisation that the Opera and Ballet really is for everyone. This was to be my first real experience of Ballet and I was in awe of my surroundings and the sheer scale of the building. The range of people and the stunning interior spaces took my breath away.

The interior circulation space of the Opera House

Although our standing tickets had a restricted view of the left hand side of the stage, the atmosphere and beauty of the music made every second worthwhile.

After the ballet we met a group of Erasmus students and went out for dinner and a quick drink before heading home.

Finally I was feeling much better and was overjoyed with the last minute decision to go the Ballet. I will definitely be returning!

Moments before the start of 'Die Fledermaus'

18 - 19.02.11

The past couple of days have been very uneventful as I managed to fall ill. The combination of a mad few weeks of preparation before leaving to Vienna, too little rest and a cold pretty much put me out of action. I tried to use the time to work on my previous project that will be represented at portfolio in the summer but did not have much energy to concentrate. Overall not a happy couple of days. Lots of hot drinks and rest and hope to be back on track soon!

My bedroom

Kitchen and living space

Hallway showing roof lights and light wells

17.02.11

I found myself in an awkward situation this morning. I was woken by an odd buzzing sound, (later I worked out this is in fact my doorbell) followed by strange voices... In my daze; and just as I was rolling out of bed (rather inappropriately dressed – well not dressed at all) a lady non the wiser walked into my room, receiving a bit of a shock shall we say! I don’t know who was more scared, her or I! I then had an even more difficult time (now fully dressed) trying to tip-toe my way around what happened to be cleaners! Why did they not tell me I would have cleaners!

So after a rather strange start to the day I travelled into town to meet Ellen and Leanne to pay our rent at the bank and sign up as local residents to the authorities. The first place we went to was reasonably quick as we simply handed over a set of forms and handed over our passport information. We then set off to the next registry office on the other side of town to fill out more forms and hand over more information. It took a little bit of time to decipher the German but we managed in the end.

That evening we decided to go to a club called the Praterdome. This was located very close to where I lived but we still could not find it. We asked for directions in German and the gentleman who was kind enough to help us had realised we were not very good German speakers and replied ‘Links at die rotes porky, und rechts at die blinky-blinky’. We did manage to keep a straight face and soon enough realised that we had to turn left at the large pig shaped cash machine, and then right once we reached the flashing lights. Classic, I guess you had to be there but it was very funny at the time.

Once we found the club it had a real ‘theme park’ style to it. You entered into a Chessington World of Adventures type turnstile and were given a card upon entry. The décor was also in themes, different rooms were in various styles from a cathedral type dance floor to a barn style bar. The card we received upon entry was actually what we used to pay – but the danger of this is having no idea how much you were spending until you reached the till at the turnstiles at the exit! The night was great fun and the girls managed to leave without paying for drinks; ‘ladies night’. How wonderful…for them!

Overall it was a productive day and an interesting night out, fingers crossed that form filling is out of the way for a bit!

Ellen, Taryn and Leanne before heading to the Praterdome

Our 'Austrian Culture' lessons had begun

16.02.11

I found myself waking up to the feeling of ‘Where am I?’ but snapped out of it very quickly as the excitement of being in a new place began. After a good breakfast of ‘Rostbratwurst mit Brot’ I was ready to go! Ellen Leanne and I met in town and ventured into the Erste Bank to set up our Austrian bank accounts. This was one of the first moments were I realised that the basic German that I remember becomes useless once people begin talking back. At this point I made a decision that I am going to have to learn and very, very quickly! Luckily we were sat down with a young gentleman who spoke fantastic English who sorted out our accounts. We left the Bank and I decided to have a quick wonder around the Stephansdom Quarter to see some of the sights. The scale of the buildings and intricate detailing of many of the facades made me realise how different the built culture in Vienna was to elsewhere in Europe and especially to the UK. Even after a short walk, I began to really appreciate the area I was now staying in. Due to daylight disappearing and hunger beginning I headed home.
Later I ventured to the Tigergasse halls where Ellen and Leanne were temporarily staying. The building was clad in a beautiful array of blue mosaiques and had a real urban feel inside with exposed concrete stairs and steel handrails. There I met Leanne’s flat mate Taryn, who told us that there was a bar called Loco where lots of Erasmus students were heading to – so we all decided to head out.
The bar was interesting as it was set punching through the railway arches. The brick vaulting under the arches seemed vibrant with the colourful lights and mirror ball’s reflection working its way through the smokey bar. After a few drinks, I met a few locals and met a few more Erasmus students. One group of Austrian girls found it strange at how hard I found German. One told me she spoke 5 languages, learning 3 at school! Why do British schools not focus more on languages? I understand it’s not all down to the education but individuals but it seems like most people here have a knowledge of at least a few different languages. We left the bar just after midnight and got on the U-Bahn, I had a few changes to make to get home but had not read the timetables so found myself at the Westbahnhof with no trains running my way; taxi time! Overall a productive day and a fun night out!

 St.Stephen's Cathedral



Messer-Prater U-Bahn Station

15.02.11

Today I embark on a new chapter in my life. The past few weeks have all been building up towards my trip to Vienna. The Erasmus Exchange was a chance to experience University life and teaching in a new environment. From the moment the School of Architecture mentioned the opportunity to travel to Vienna my ears pricked up. At the start of the term two Diploma 2 students Paul Cashin and Niall Bird gave a presentation on their recent experience of the exchange - by the end of their talk my mind was set.

The early morning start to catch my flight from Heathrow really brought weeks of anticipation to reality. The flight was swift and we landed on Austrian soil early; a good start! Nerves disappeared the moment I landed and adrenaline slowly began to kick in. Now thoughts of 'have I got everything?' and 'do you remember where you are going?' started, as well as trying to remember German phrases from 8years ago at school!
I got a taxi to the housing office to register, where I had my first experience of the Austrian’s love for filling out forms! Once the paperwork was done and I found out where I was heading, I began dragging my suitcases to the ‘Schottentor-Universitat’ U-Bahn station. I made my way to ‘Messer-Prater’ which was to be my local station for the rest of my stay in Vienna.

The Gastehaus on Molkereistrasse is a halls of residence constructed as a passive house; it was built in 2005 and offers 278 rooms in different sizes flats. I had seen photographs but as usual it is never the same as visiting a place at first hand. I had a little trouble finding my room at first but with a bit of help from another resident I found myself making my way up to the Dachgeschloss (the roof rooms). The flat has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom and is in perfect condition. I was especially surprised at the bedroom which included all the essentials such as bedding and duvet, but also came with a radio and television! After settling in and unpacking I made my way to the local shop and stocked up on the most important things – such as Austrian beers…oh yes, and food! Later that evening Ellen Palmer and Leanne Todd also from the Portsmouth School of Architecture came over to celebrate our arrival and have a look around the halls. The day had flown past and by the end, I was absolutely shattered and drifted off to sleep in my new ‘home’.

OeAD Gastehaus - Molkereistrasse