The Traveling Plant: Preparatory Logbook

Claudia Schnugg

Beyond the Mountains and Remote Valleys

Wels, Austria (Upper Austrian Central Region)
Independent Curator and Researcher

Coming to Austria, you’ll probably think of mountains and valleys, a paradise that provides habitats for any kind of you. But especially in the less mountainous areas, as the place where I live, you’ll find a lot of concrete on the plains and few hills. Be aware that urban sprawl is dominating, an overall splinter development of these regions, but also exploitation of your most favorable soil. In many of these areas, most of you left. Some are endangered as human settlements and industry changed the soil and limited the landscape drastically.
But that doesn’t mean you come to a hostile environment! On contrary. Many of us humans find great solace in bonding with plants. Some want to help you repopulate the local environment, like I do in my garden, so that you again can fill the environment with the beauty that feels long lost. Do not hesitate to occupy the loose gravel left bare by human treasure hunters and build an alliance with those who were strong enough to survive. Visit and join forces. Don’t forget to make your relatives dream of places that you’ve seen on your travels, inspire them to regain seemingly lost territory and ruined land!