The Viennese audio-visual festival sound:frame had its opening this friday. As an interested VJ and fan of weekend trips I just had to be there. And it was totally worth it.

It was my first visit to Vienna and I really might have found a true love. A city as powerful and charming, busy and clean, large and flexible, all at the same time – a place where anything can go but nothing has to.

Besides its reputation as one of the most significant music and art centers in the world, Vienna is also well-known for its vast number of visual artists and projectionists (a tradition which started back in the days of the first famous projectionist Freud). And yes, Vienna really seems to be the ideal city for such a huge project (more than 60 groups, clubs and companies are involved this year).

The first evening took place all around Karlsplatz right in the center of the city. Austrian Public Radio FM4 used the opening as an occasion to launch their new mobile disco with Kristian Davidek and Sebastian Schlachter who played a wide variety of electronic music, from banger to tech house – a nice mix which seemed to get the crowd going. After that, the first visual installation began – a live projection on the Karlskirche. A VJ team from Tagtool presented an interesting combination of live drawing and animation of these drawings; a firework of colours and motion. The only thing bothering me a little was the absence of any integration of this years motif Dimensions – since usually integrating the facade is just about the point when projecting on it.

Sad to say, this discontinuity in the program just kept following us. At both after-parties (Club U and Kunsthalle Project Space) the music really found it’s level and the mood was right – but what honestly confused me was the total lack of any visual artist.

Saturday started with the attempt to visit an untraceable exhibition by Motionlab and Neon Golden, locatable only by geo-coordinates who lead to nowhere. After this slightly disappointing experience we went to the next event: the opening of the world-wide first VJ-only gallery. Exciting. If only the single artwork exhibited (Ambient Cineman) would have been finished in time. Idea and the concept were great but the realization could have been more tingly than a beamer on a moving-head.

A propper opening weekend needs an own closing party – sound:frame 2010 hosted it at FLUC and finally lived up to its name as a visual festival. Johannes Lehner, Alex Dallas and Ron Shiller from Drumpoet Community and many others provided (minimal) techno at its best and VJ wemakevisuals, mimu, super e:v/a and others arranged a bunch of amazing visuals and installations.

And so what’s left to say after all: They eventually got it right. And probably will do even better over the next 4 weeks. So even if there’s just a hint of interests in visual art forms, I suggest going to Vienna during the closing weekend from March 15 to 17.

And here’s a few tips to mastering Vienna:

1. Take the night train! Tickets are about double the amount of a normal train ride but you save the hotel costs and arrive totally relaxed in the heart of the city. And Austrian night trains rank among the best.
2. Check in at the K+K Palais Hotel. It’s clean, has a nice design and friendly staff and is situated right in the center of Vienna (but facing a park and therefore very quiet).
3. Eat a Schnitzel at Figlmüller’s. Forget about any side dishes besides the potato salad but don’t reject the Austrian Riesling they serve.
4. Be nice to the people even though they’re making faces. That’s just their manner – as a matter of fact they principally like you.
5. Visit Palais Belvedere, the summer residence of Prince Eugen. Just do it and be blown away by its majesty.

Vienna, I’ll be back!