The exhibition titled “Fresh Air for Oberzeiring” at the House of Architecture (HDA) in Graz, which opened on May 2, 2024, was a vibrant showcase of the SMOTIES project. It presented the activities of the project partners across 10 European countries over the last four years.
A key highlight was the transformation of the central square in Oberzeiring, an Austrian village historically significant for its silver mining. Over time, the central square had lost its communal function. Through collaborative workshops with local residents, teachers, and students from the Institute of Design & Communication at FH JOANNEUM, strategies were developed to improve communication in public spaces. These strategies were presented in the exhibition alongside projects from nine other European locations: Estonia, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom. The exhibition showcased the processes, tools, and outcomes developed by SMOTIES partners between 2020 and 2024, highlighting the diversity of initiatives and activities across the continent.
The exhibition concept was developed and crafted by students from the Master’s program in Exhibition Design at FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences in Graz. In 2021, a group of students (Vera Grosch, Matthias Pöschl, Camilla Siegel, and Katharina Zvetolec, under the supervision of Anke Strittmatter and Erika Thümmel) developed a modular framework system for all SMOTIES exhibitions.
In 2024, given the tight timeline, various student groups pitched different concepts, and the “SMOTIES Tour” concept was selected for display. Under the supervision of Sigrid Bürstmayr, Lucia Jarošová, Christoph Neuhold, and Anke Strittmatter, students (Sara Abou El-Fadl, Michelle Benthin, Katharina Betz, Foroozan Bitarafhaghighi, Anna Brodmann, Josephine Brunner, Matthias Dietrich, Anne Eichelbrönner, Mia Funk, Magdalena Höchtl, Yola Moschitz, Maria Puzzo, Annabel Schipper, Taranom Sedghi, and Nadja Troscheit) prepared and built the exhibition, incorporating the SMOTIES visual language and identity.
This concept guided visitors through several stations, each representing typical elements of a village and providing insights into the projects implemented within the SMOTIES framework. The journey began at the main entrance of the HDA, leading through introductory stations on the main street, past a “gas station”, and into the village’s back part. Here, a “cinema” played a documentary film about the project.
Visitors strolled past “house facades” and through “alleys” where various projects were presented, featuring green “balconies” and “lanterns”. The “workshop” station showcased the SMOTIES toolbox, while the “village square” highlighted the connection to the Austrian project in Oberzeiring, featuring a library with publications about the project. The exhibition attracted attention from outside through windows designed in SMOTIES’s style. It was well-visited, offering the public valuable insights into how innovative, participatory approaches can transform small and remote places into livable and sustainable communities.
