VIENNA.- At almost the same time, the Viennese artist collective Steinbrener/Dempf & Huber opened two highly conspicuous “comments” on the architecture of their city in November. Visible from afar, the eye-catching works caused a great stir. Both artworks are equally a homage to the architecture of the early 20th century in New York.

Sign of the Times
Hotel InterContinental, Vienna
Sign of the Times is the three-dimensional replica of one of the most well-known and iconic images from the silent film era. It shows Harold Lloyd – in the 1923 movie SAFETY LAST! – hanging from the hand of a gigantic clock on the outside of a skyscraper in New York. The film plays masterfully with such themes as deception and imposture. “As a piece of comic architecture, it’s impeccable”, said Orson Welles of this legendary silent film.

Not just a visual ploy, Sign of the Times can also be seen as a comment on the much-discussed redevelopment of the property.

Lunch Atop
On a Viennese skyscraper in Vienna’s 9th district is another translation of an iconic image from the heyday of skyscraper construction in New York and refers to a photograph of a group of workers sitting on an I-beam at a dizzying height during their lunch break.

Since the beginning of November, an eighteen-metre-long I-beam has been protruding out over the roofs of Vienna – nearby the Franz Josef railway station – into the road space. Five figures are seen sitting – completely relaxed – on the girder.

On the one hand, the sculpture Lunch Atop acts as a statement and landmark, but also pays homage to construction workers.

Both projects create the pretence of dramatic living reality, and – like many other projects by Steinbrener/Dempf & Huber – the astonished viewer only recognises them as sculptures after a moment’s pause.