Versuchsfeld1
Anita Fuchs
The MuseumsQuartier has invited the artist Anita Fuchs to deal with a 250 m² lawn on the forecourt of the site. The area will become an "Versuchsfeld1" that the artist will explore and develop artistically over a period of two years.
Anita Fuchs is known for her process-oriented artistic engagement with nature in both urban and rural areas. Her projects combine scientific and artistic research, often in collaboration with scientists.
The MuseumsQuartier has invited the artist to work on a 250 m² lawn on the forecourt of the site. The area became an Versuchsfeld1[experimental field1] that Anita Fuchs will explore and develop artistically over a period of two years.First solid samples have been taken to identify suitable seeds and to compile them according to the given conditions.At the beginning of April, the previous turf, which has no ecological benefit, was removed, the soil prepared and the seed mixture sown. The gradual development of the former lawn into a biodiverse meadow was made/will be made tangible for the public in workshops and lectures. In one of the MQ showrooms (entrance vis-à-vis), the artist has set up a Field Station, in which she documents the process with objects, videos, photographs, and texts.
Curator: Verena Kaspar-Eisert
Dominique Zimmermann,a research associate at the Natural History Museum in Vienna has examined the Versuchsfeld1 for insects and has reached the following conclusion:
“A flowering meadow is not only an aesthetic delight for us humans, but also creates valuable habitat for insects. Within a very short time, the meadow created by Anita Fuchs was populated by numerous species. While flying insects such as honeybees, wild bees, and flies were among the first visitors to benefit from the abundance of nectar and pollen on offer, a small ecosystem has since established itself. Compared to the adjacent mowed meadows, where hardly any insects can find food or habitat, the area is home to a much greater diversity of species. Insects and arachnids are an important part of our ecosystem, and a healthy ecosystem is the foundation of our own well-being."Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Seed mixture:
Achillea millefolium - Common yarrow / Agrostemma githago - Corn cockle / Anthemis arvensis - Corn chamomile / Anthemis tinctoria - Golden marguerite / Anthoxanthum odoratum - Sweet vernal grass / Anthyllis vulneraria - Common kidney vetch / Betonica officinalis - Common hedgenettle / Briza media - Quaking grass / Buphthalmum salicifolium - Ox-eye / Campanula patula - Spreading bellflower / Carum carvi – Caraway / Centaurea jacea - Brown knapweed / Centaurea scabiosa - Greater knapweed / Cichorium intybus - Common chicory / Crepis biennis - Rough hawksbeard / Cynosurus cristatus - Crested dog’s-tail / Daucus carota - Wild carrot / Dianthus carthusianorum - Carthusian pink / Dianthus deltoides - Maiden pink / Dipsacus follunum - Wild teasel / Echium vulgare - Viper’s bugloss / Festuca rupicola - Furrowed fescue / Galium album - White bedstraw / Galium verum - Lady’s bedstraw / Geum urbanum - Wood avens / Heracleum sphondylium – Hogweed / Hypericum perforatum - St. John’s wort / Knautia arvensis - Field scabious / Leontodon hispidus - Bristly hawkbit / Leucanthemum vulgare - Ox-eye daisy / Lychnis flos-cuculi - Ragged-robin / Lycnis viscaria - Clammy campion / Malva moschata - Musk mallow / Matricaria chamomilla – Chamomile / Medicago falcata - Sickle alfalfa / Myosotis arvensis - Field forget-me-not / Onobrychis viciifolia - Common sainfoin / Pastinaca sativa – Parsnip / Petrorhagia saxifraga - Tunic flower / Plantago lanceolata - Ribwort plantain / Plantago media - Hoary plantain / Prunella grandiflora - Large-flowered selfheal / Prunelle vulgaris - Common selfheal / Salvia pratensis - Meadow clary / Sanguisorba minor - Salad burnet / Scabiosa columbaria - Small scabious / Silene dioica - Red campion / Silene vulgaris - Bladder campion / Stellaria graminea - Common starwort / Tragopogon pratensis ssp. orientalis - Meadow salsify / Verbascum chaixii -Nettle-leaved mullein
MQ Forecourt
