Gravity and Growth
Gravity and Growth
Reflections for an Ecological Future
One of our key aims when launching the exhibition Points of Return was to encourage organic exchanges between the participating artists; to plant seeds which might grow into new connections and conversations. This vision came to life in the summer of 2024 in the form of a contemplative and future-focussed collaboration between artists Evalie Wagner and Miguel Sbastida. Sbastida was selected as an artist-in-residence for the Gravity and Growth project, curated by Wagner in Bad Aussee, Austria.
An interdisciplinary art, workshop, and residency project by Evalie Wagner, Gravity and Growth explored the concept of a tender ecology for a hopeful tomorrow.
From May to October 2024, at the Alpine Garden in Bad Aussee, this initiative formed part of the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl - Salzkammergut 2024.
How intertwined are humanity and nature, and how can we help shape a sustainable future? These questions lie at the heart of the project. The Alpine Garden in Bad Aussee is considered a gem of botanical diversity. In an era when landscapes and horticultural knowledge are under threat, this garden serves as a vital space for recreation and education. Using the garden as both a base and a symbol of longing, Gravity and Growth invites scientific and artistic exploration of biodiversity, ecosystems, nature-based strategies for the future, and the relationship between humans and alpine landscape.
From May to October 2024, six artists from various disciplines, were invited to engage with the garden and its natural surroundings. The program was accompanied by workshops and lectures designed to offer fresh perspectives on the plant world, with themes such as biodiversity, species loss, and the diminishing knowledge of ecological cycles. Each artist brings a unique perspective and theme—some of them unfamiliar with the Alpine region. Art and ecology are intricately linked. Often, “nature” is seen as a backdrop, something separate from humanity. Yet, in reality, we are all part of the same complex ecosystem. A garden acts as a meeting point—a human-made space where we can explore how coexistence with nature works. Those who don't appreciate the richness of nature may not fully understand the urgency of preserving it.
Miguel Sbastida's Inquiry into Invasive Species
One of the six artists invited by Evalie Wagner was Miguel Sbastida, with whom she previously exhibited on Points of Return. During his stay at the Alpengarten in Bad Aussee, Miguel experimented with the botanical format of the herbarium, creating a small collection of pressed invasive plants. This project, inscribed within his long-standing investigation titled A Post-Colonial Inquiry of Invasive Species, examines how invasive species have settled into new habitats and affected ecosystems in Bad Aussee. By geo-tagging, photographing, and collecting samples of these plants, he maps their spread and impact.
His broader project explores the colonial history of botany and the global impact of the exotic plant trade. Sbastida focuses on fourteen plants declared invasive by the European Union, named after historical colonial figures as part of their scientific nomenclature. He argues that these plants are 'here' because our ancestors were 'there,' continuing processes of colonization, displacement, and destruction, while highlighting the ecological degradation of worldwide ecosystems in the face of climate change. As part of his residency, Miguel has documented the presence of these invasive species across the Alps, performing a symbolic burial by burning the plants and gathering their ashes for use in future artworks.
Fanny Brandauer reading the landscape
What defines a landscape? Where do its boundaries lie? What transitions, elements, and aesthetic approaches shape and characterise it? And how can landscapes be interpreted, represented, and sensorially experienced in a space? These are the guiding questions for landscape architect Fanny Brandauer during her residency at the Alpine Garden. In both a sensory and scientific exploration of the surrounding region, Fanny engages in discovery through walking—allowing the subtleties and transitions of the landscape to reveal themselves. Her approach blends artistic insight with scientific observation, offering innovative ways to visualise and connect with natural environments. For Fanny, the landscape is more than a backdrop; it is a living, dynamic entity to be felt, understood, and engaged with on multiple levels.
The Flora of Bad Aussee
The residency program also included a special side project—a collaboration between artist Evalie Wagner, ecologist Alexander Mrkvicka, and ceramist Lisa Zinnebner. This collaboration paid tribute to an old botanical book titled The Flora of Bad Aussee by Lily Rechinger, who, in the early 20th century, meticulously documented and described nearly every plant species in the region. Rechinger’s work provides a rare and invaluable record of the area’s botanical diversity and allows us to trace the changes in local flora over time.
Since 1990, ecologist Alexander Mrkvicka has followed in Rechinger’s footsteps, discovering new species each year while noting the unfortunate disappearance of others. As a tribute to her legacy, Wagner and Zinnebner created a ceramic tile relief featuring botanical prints of plants once described by Rechinger and found in the Alpine Garden. The prints, embedded in the ceramic like fossils in limestone, symbolise both memory and loss, evoking the fragility of this unique ecosystem. With the looming effects of climate change—including the loss of a nearby glacier and the subsequent transformation of the region’s vegetation, the relief reflects the botanical diversity of the region, honoring both its past and uncertain future.
Behind Gravity and Growth
Wagner describes the project as a creative, scientific, and sensorially exploration of the Alpine Garden and the surrounding cultural landscape of the Alpine and pre-Alpine regions. “Gravity and Growth questions how we will interact with nature in the future and explores strategies for sustainability,” she explains. “Through a playful, poetic, and at times political lens, the project aims to inspire joy in engaging with ecological issues. The garden, as a space of knowledge and experimentation, serves as a meeting point between humans and nature, reflecting our relationship with the natural world. This is the essence of Gravity and Growth: a space for reflection on art, biodiversity, and our connection to nature, deeply poetic yet political.”
Gravity and Growth was supported by NEZA and the city of Bad Aussee. Special thanks to the gardeners of the Alpine Garden, Anna and Thomas Steiner, and to Christina Jaritsch, head of the program for the European Capital of Culture Salzkammergut 2024.
List of all Gravity and Growth artists-in-residence: Melanie Gandyra, Richard Eigner, Miguel Sbastida, Fanny Brandauer, Merle Bergers, David Bröderbauer
Images used with permission | Text by Wagner & A La Luz | Please do not re-publish any of the above without prior written consent
