2006 The Long NOT Winding Road - Art House, House Of Art

It was Ian's fault! You know the feeling you get when having done something time consuming like cleaning your motorcycle and the weather changes? Well Ian, having had his beard trim, looked out the window and it's raining.
The good news was that by the time we had breakfasted the rain had stopped. Map in hand and paw we headed across Vienna to

The Kunsthaus is a museum that was designed by the Viennese artist Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser. Although Hundertwasser started out as a painter, he became widely known for his architecture, ranging from an incinerator works in Vienna , public buildings, the Rogner at Bad Blumau and some public toilets in his adopted home of Kawakawa, New Zealand, until his death in 2000.
Guzzisue had seen some of Hundertwasser's paintings in one of her many books and Ian had watched Billy Connolly's New Zealand Tour television programme in which there was a short film clip of the toilets in Kawakawa.
Below are some shots taken outside of the Kunsthaus.
On entering the building the floor is uneven and a notice explains why in Hundertwasser's words.

'The flat floor is an invention of the architects. It fits engines - not human beings.

We do not only have eyes to see and ears to hear and noses to smell. We also have a sense for the touch of our hands and our feet.

If man is forced to walk on flat floors as they were planned thoughtlessly in designers' offices, estranged from man's age old relationship and contact to earth - a decisive part of man withers and dies. This has catastrophic consequences for the soul, for the equilibrium, the well being and the health of man. Man's ability to experience ceases and he becomes disabled, mentally and organically.

An uneven and animated floor means to recover dignity of man which has been violated in our unnatural and hostile urban grid system.

The uneven floor becomes a symphony, a melody for the feet and brings back natural vibrations to man.

Architecture should elevate and not subdue man. It is good to walk on uneven floors and regain our human balance.'

And here is what the floor looks like.

It is quite difficult to see the unevenness in the foreground but by looking at the base of the right hand side pillar the uneven floor is more visible.
Also on the ground floor there is a fountain in the reception area

and the design of the toilets is similar to their New Zealand cousins.


Make sure you have a strong stance when visiting the urinals as the uneven floor theme carries on here!We were not permitted to take photos in any other area within the museum due to the content, a large collection of Hundertwasser's works. Guzzisue enjoyed the visit more than Ian and myself. This could have been due to where we were going to go after here, however the design of the building did grab our attention.

During our stay in Vienna, we were once again kept entertained by the many street entertainers. None more so than this Rock and Roll Hound. There was a good crowd watching this particular act. The end of this small film is amusing. All I can ask is why did the girl come back?