Do you remember places where you entered timeless zones and were completely in the flow? Spaces where you played and learned, and felt entirely safe, free, open and curious all at once?
In a conversation with our friends and collegues Oksana Lemishka and Taras Komisaruk, who are from Ukraine, surprised us with a wonderful word from their native language that describes these places: Halabuda.
The third scenographic study reimagined these magic places: together we set up a playful, tent-like structure made of colorful fabrics from all over the world, big cushions, sparkling lights, and underrated everyday materials. Our Hallabudda was inspired by the kind of cozy, hidden places we created as children with blankets – under tables, between shelves, sofas or boxes. In these spaces, we feel supported and think loud and wild, speak without shame, and connect with confidence.
At the SENSING LIVING SYSTEMS symposium in December 2023, artists and scientists from Europe and Southeast Asia teamed up together with the “Hallabudda-Experts” Oksana and Taras to install three Hallabuddas at the AIL, each dedicated to a different sense, with the aim of creating inspiring environments for their exchange.
With the Angewandte Festival coming up in June 2024, we brought the concept back – this time to the AIL Art Cabin – accompanied by a 30-minute artistic documentary film by Zoe Gendron and Daniel Jamernik covering the transdisciplinary symposium. Inside the soft, multisensory interior, visitors were invited to sit, watch, and listen – experiencing the atmosphere of the symposium and the project’s approach. With different textures, inviting surfaces, and even olfactory elements, the Hallabudda offered more than just calmness and comfort. It became a first prototype for multisensory scenography – a space where serious playfulness, deep listening, and focused presence could unfold.
Visitors of all ages engaged with the environment and reported feeling more open, connected, and more mindful. The Hallabudda reminds us that even the simplest, yet thoughtfully crafted environments can foster dialogue, empathy, and insights.
June – September 2024, AIL Art Cabin, Angewandte Interdisciplinary Lab – University of Applied Arts Vienna
Series of Scenographic Studies
The Series of Scenographic Studies is a key format within SENSING LIVING SYSTEMS. It merges artistic research activities and systems science knowledge in participatory, multisensory installations. Each study explores how systems principles become tangible through scent, sound, touch, and space.
The installations, shown at the AIL Art Cabin (University of Applied Arts Vienna, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna), offer insights into the project’s research practices and questions, and simultaneously generate new ones: visitors are not only observers but active contributors. Through their interaction, they help shape both the experience and the research process. The installations change about every 3 to 4 months. Designed as experimental environments, the scenographic studies transform key system principles and project’s findings into multisensory experience.
