Panel discussion: Art in Public Space - Culture of Remembrance - Collective Memory

Keynote: Meinrad Pichler, historian Panel discussion with: Hanno Loewy, former director of the Jewish Museum Hohenems, Sarah Schlatter – university lecturer at FH Dornbirn and artist, and Petra Zudrell, director of the City Museum Dornbirn. Art in public space is more than decoration: it shapes urban and alpine landscapes, inscribes itself into collective memory, provokes dissent, and opens spaces for reflection. Public space is not a neutral backdrop, but a socially shaped place that gains new meanings through artistic interventions. With this event series, we aim to sharpen the perception of art, provide background information, and facilitate conversations between artists, the city, and the audience.

The starting point is Bregenz, a city with an extraordinary density of artworks in public space – including works by Herbert Albrecht, Gottfried Bechtold, Gunter Demnig, Cerith Wyn Evans, Tone Fink, Heinz Gappmayr, Reinhard Gassner, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Ruth Schnell, Roman Signer, Natasa Sienčnik, and many more. Beyond Bregenz, projects in Vorarlberg such as Antony Gormley's "Horizon Field," James Turrell's "Skyspace," Bechtold's works at the Silvretta dam, Miriam Prantl's Earth Light, and many other important initiatives connect landscape, light, and perception, stimulating economic, ecological, and aesthetic discussions. Additionally, they highlight the potential of art in public space and generate sustainable tourist value creation as well as international attention.