ROOM
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Space Lounge
celebration in Austria as well as 25 years ago the first
and only Austrian astronaut had flown in space.
“Here, in Akrhyz, in these objects, there is much
historical memory that we are trying to retain
in European countries as well. The project has
not only cultural and scientific significance but
a political one as well. The first and foremost
reason we go into politics is to change our
circumstances, including through the use of
cultural and scientific exchange,” he said.
observatory, it is better visible at night. It should,
perhaps, be mentioned that there are no outside
lights by the observatory, since, as one of the
astronomers noted, “There’s simply no need. By
the time it gets dark, everyone who should be here
is already here, and there’s no need for anyone to
go outside.”
Radya, a well-known street artist from
Ekaterinburg, set up the installation so that it was
only visible when looking straight up at the night sky
- at the right angle, it spelt out ‘They’re brighter than
us’ in letters that appear to be floating in the sky.
At the opening of this joint Austrian-Russian
project, Emil Brix, the Austrian ambassador to
Russia, congratulated the observatory on its 50-year
anniversary, noting that the year was cause for
Alexandra Paperno’s
‘Abolished Constellations’.
Titova’s work reflected
the ancient origins of the
village in a modern
industrial space.
Artists had
a unique
opportunity to
integrate their
works into the
surroundings