After several days of staying mostly inside, painting and having meetings about Aces of Perception, ( our new “portals” project for Vienna), we finally got out of the house and took a good walk around the city.

It’s night and raining. We grab our umbrellas and step outside into the crisp, wet air. The streets, replete with cobblestones, are shiny and slick and cut with tram tracks. The lights of the city dance in reflections on the ground. Nathan Wheeler, our sound engineer arrived to town this morning and so Perola, Zel, me and him take off together down the street like a gust of wind, like the characters in the Wizard of Oz, following the yellow brick road.

We walk along the route of the Aces experience, showing Zel and Nathan where each of the 5 portal installations will be. The portals will lead locals and tourists through the center of Vienna where they will encounter many curious things along their path.  

The charms of Vienna that I experienced when I came here the first time, last fall, come flooding back to me. There is so much attention to detail, so much emphasis on quality and beauty here. Theres an embedded respect for humanity, life and beauty in every exquisite art art nouveau building, in every sculpture, every cupula, every magnificent door. There is such richness here.

Zel Nonnemburg looking up at us through layers of marble stair.

Another thing I notice is that there is not a scrap of garbage on the ground. There are magazines for people to read in the subway and no one seems to steal them or destroy them. The city seems to respect the people and the people in turn respect the city.

Perola, Nathan and Zel walking in the Museumquartier

I am really honored to be doing our project here. I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Vienna before I came, but now, as I learn more and more I’m becoming even more grateful that this is the place that we are creating the next portals project.

More to come~