On the occasion of the international year of forests and the plenary meeting of “Wald & Holz” on 21 September 2011 the Austrian forestry and timber industry presents itself in the Viennese parliament. The challenge is to make the “Year of Forests” visible in an effective way and to introduce it into this place, which, socio-politically, is the most important location for discourse. The concept consists of a spectacular installation in the columned hall of the 19th century parliament building designed by Theophil Hansel. Photographs of tree tops captured are printed on a translucent net that is spanned below the glass roof of the hall. The light that filters through the glass roof onto the 270 sq. m. of stretched material creates a striking illusion of the atmosphere in a forest.
The marble columns of the hall become tree trunks, the roof of the hall a canopy of leaves. You look, as it were, into the sky, inhaling the air through your nose, fully registering the forest’s rich, earthy smell. Eight planed wooden planks – up to 8.5 metres long – are fixed along the row of columns and in large lettering convey important information about the value and function of forests and of wood. To complement the installation a magazine designed by Gassner Redolfi KG is issued in a large edition by pro Holz Austria. On a total of 16 pages it provides information about forestry and the timber industry, about forest people and wooden heads.
