Theatre performance in Ausseerland: "The Unheard of Things"

The Outrageous Things
German name of the event: Theaterperformance im Ausseerland: "Die Unerhörten Dinge"

A theatre performance at the markets in Bad Aussee and Altaussee with a fictitious radio programme on provenance research and restitution of stolen Jewish possessions. A project of the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 and the Theater im Bahnhof in Graz

The unheard of things tell of the unheard of and the unheard: the focus is on stolen art and everyday objects from former Jewish property from the region. On 31 August and on 05, 07 and 14 September 2024, four performers will surprise the audience with a fictitious radio show in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the market at various markets in Altaussee and Bad Aussee. Stories and fates can be heard that tie in with the stolen and expropriated objects. For the theatre performance, the Theater im Bahnhof from Graz collaborated with the two scholars Monika Löscher (provenance researcher, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna on behalf of the Commission for Provenance Research) and Birgit Johler (curator, Universalmuseum Joanneum). They provide the scientific basis and research for provenance research on the expropriated objects, which are at the centre of the thematic reappraisal. The Unheard Things, a game about loss and memory, provenance and restitution of stolen Jewish property, is another project within the framework of the program line Power and Tradition on the topic of remembrance culture. Furthermore, The Unheard of Things will be experienced on October 5, 2024 as part of the Long Night of Museums at the Folklore Museum at Paulustor in Graz.

A fictitious radio station at the weekly market

The theatre performance The Unheard of Things focuses on stolen objects and the personal stories associated with the former owners. Residents and guests of Altaussee and Bad Aussee are invited to deal with Nazi looting, provenance and restitution, as well as questions of loss, value and memory, in a low-threshold way. At the markets in Bad Aussee and Altaussee, a fictitious live radio broadcast is produced and broadcast during market hours, which has precisely these stories as its content. The events on the market are also included. The genre of "entertainment programme", for which the performers of the Theater im Bahnhof from Graz have deliberately chosen, opens up the most diverse possibilities to transport a topic that is still partly taboo with the necessary ease. During the radio show, market visitors are subtly introduced to the topic by means of live music, a request concert, competitions, and interviews with experts and live guests. "Singing is an essential element. In our radio show there will be no music 'from the retort', everything will take place live. With polyphonic a cappella songs written especially for the production, which refer to folk music in the region but have their own musical signature, social aspects of collective remembrance and forgetting, the return of authoritarian social structures and the silent beauty of the landscape are addressed: 'The lake lies clearly in the forest and is silent, but it never forgets.'" Monika Klengel, Director

The objects used in the theatre performance, which were discovered and selected in the course of research, make it possible to negotiate the topic of provenance in the Salzkammergut region without wagging a finger. The power of personal narrative is trusted, in this way the stolen objects become protagonists themselves. The outrageous things are based on an excellent scientific foundation thanks to the expertise of the research of Monika Löscher and Birgit Johler. A detailed accompanying booklet with background information on important questions of restitution and provenance is in preparation, which will also describe the stories of the objects in detail.

Part of the project is a memory game developed for the performance, in which the "outrageous objects" are depicted in 12 playing cards. A detailed accompanying booklet with background information on important questions of restitution and provenance is in preparation, which will also describe the stories of the objects in detail. The memory game can also be played independently of the theatre performance. As a cultural mediation tool, it will contribute to the sustainability of The Unheard Things beyond the project.

„Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 baut mit der Programmlinie ‚Macht und Tradition‘ Erinnerungslandschaften. Die Erinnerung an Menschen, die während des Nationalsozialismus beraubt, vertrieben, ermordet wurden, nimmt darin einen besonderen Platz ein. Über die Beschäftigung mit der Herkunft und dem Verbleib von persönlichen Objekten bekommen wir unmittelbaren Zugang zu den Schicksalen der Besitzer*innen. Mit der Theaterperformance ‚Die unerhörten Dinge‘ geben wir der Provenienzforschung im ländlichen Raum jene Aufmerksamkeit, die sie eigentlich schon seit Jahrzehnten haben sollte – nicht nur hier im Salzkammergut, sondern in ganz Europa.“ Elisabeth Schweeger, Künstlerische Leiterin, Kulturhauptstadt Europas Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024

„‚Die unerhörten Dinge‘ holen Alltagsgegenstände aus ehemals jüdischem Besitz im Ausseerland ins Bewusstsein. Wer sich auf ihre Geschichte einlässt, erfährt auch vom Schicksal der einstigen Eigentümer*innen, hört von wechselnden Besitzverhältnissen und folgt den Wegen der Objekte bis in die Gegenwart. Mit der Erforschung der Provenienz im Privatbereich widmet sich das Projekt einem bislang noch wenig behandelten Thema.“ Monika Löscher und Birgit Johler, Provenzienforscherinnen

„Während man am Wochenmarkt einkauft, wird man mit Dingen in Berührung gebracht, die einst in dieser Gegend passiert sind, die nicht in Vergessenheit geraten dürfen und für die wir alle die gesellschaftliche Verantwortung tragen. Der Rechtsextremismus ist in Österreich wieder salonfähig, Politik und Medien verwenden schleichend eine Sprache und setzen Handlungen, durch die vieles wieder möglich wird, was wir nicht für möglich gehalten haben. ‚Die unerhörten Dinge' erzählen davon. Wie wir mit ihnen umgehen, wie viel Respekt wir für den Wert von persönlichen Gegenständen und ihren Erzählungen haben, sagt etwas über den Zustand der Gesellschaft aus, in der wir leben.“ Monika Klengel, Regisseurin

Contributors

Performers Juliette Eröd, Gabriela Hiti, Monika Klengel, Martina Zinner, Monika Klengel
Scientific support Monika Löscher, Birgit Johler
Set design Johanna Hierzegger
Musical design Felix Klengel
Technique: Moke Rudolf-Klenzel
Production Manager Christina Helena Romirer
Regie Monika Klengel
Project Manager Theater im Bahnhof, Graz
Program Manager Remembrance Culture Lisa Neuhuber
Copyright © Capital of Culture Bad Ischl – Salzkammergut 2024 GmbH, 06/2022, All rights reserved.

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