It was with great pleasure that I was able to create an exhibition for the fourth time at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York (acfny), housed in a landmark building designed by Austrian architect Raimund Abraham. Following an invitation by the acfny's new director Dr Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger, Stefan Fuhrer and I designed the exhibition Hedy Lamarr. Actress. Inventor. Viennese.
On the four levels of the Austrian Cultural Forum we trace the path of Hedy Lamarr's multifaceted life. In designing the exhibition, Stefan Fuhrer picked up on the technical skills that already distinguished Hedy Lamarr as a child. According to reports from her family, Hedy Lamarr took apart her toys, e.g. a music box built into a wooden figurine, and then professionally reassembled them. She simply wanted to find out how the mechanics worked. For the exhibition at the acfny, Stefan Fuhrer had the great idea of producing tiles out of paper that reflect the impression of the many facets of Hedy Lamarr's life, but also the theme of taking apart, or putting together, a puzzle. The "tiles" in white and blue run through the exhibition rooms and illustrate the career of the actress, her love for Austria, as well as her stations as an inventor and artist. Here I would also like to expressly thank Theresa Absolon for her curatorial assistance as well as for looking after the collection.
The exhibition was opened in front of a more than full house by Federal Minister Susanne Raab, who in her opening speech pointed out the importance of educating girls in STEM subjects, and by acfny Director Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger with reference to the focus on women and technology of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. The day after the opening already showed how great the interest in Hedy Lamarr is, as many visitors turned up who only became curious by passing by the poster of the exhibition and visited the acfny.
Together we are looking forward to a large audience!
Link to the exhibition (in german)
Article Golden Globes (in English)
Gallery of the exhibition, photos by Helga Traxler
