Working towards idleness

From 25 to 29 September, scientists from the University of Vienna will be setting up an outpost in Fünfhaus, the 15th Viennese district, with their artist friends. In Werkstadt 15, they create a laboratory to explore how work affects our lives and structures our time. An audio tour takes guests through the Reindorfgasse, a side street of outer Mariahilfer Straße. Buildings and businesses reflect the development of capitalism and how it has changed our perception of working time, leisure time, and life-time. A walk into the 18th century and back into the present.

What does time mean in today's working world? How is it used, how is it distributed? The display of Werkstatt 15 shows some quite surprising facts and figures. Inside, an interactive exhibition focuses on the visitors' time-keeping and working behaviours. Visions of a world without compulsory work are collected on the Utopian Wall. The setting is a living room filled with converted office equipment, which is no longer necessary in a world without work. The team is looking forward to a pleasant exchange. Finally, the Viennese working group for idleness invites to a discussion which will also bring to light the dark sides of utopias.

The Viennese working group for idleness — Wiener Arbeitskreis für Müßiggang — is comprised of sociologists (Carina Altreiter, Franz Astleithner, Barbara Mataloni, Matthias Nocker) and artists (Péter Oroszlány, Alessia Scuderi, Christoph Steininger) who share a common interest in the organisation of work. By questioning what is taken for granted, they explore different ways of social coexistence.