For the summer festival of 2018, titled ‘Felix Austria’, Styriarte went head over heels for the idea to create a baroque pop-up garden on 2000 square meters. From the beginning it was clear, that the garden would remain only during a short period of time, since the area around the concert hall went through massive construction developments.

Previously this part of Graz, behind the central train station, was more an outsourced industrial neighbourhood with little interest, but city planning had already began to convert it into a ‘smart city’, with slick office towers and luxury apartments.The endeavour to create a green outdoor space for relaxation and leisure, stood in total contrast to the drastic modernisation and construction efforts that were going on next door. The layout plan of the garden as well as the sculptures for the pathways were inspired by baroque garden design.

costumes and garden design by Lilli Hartmann