“Controversial” artwork to be removed from waterfall because it was ruining selfies
An art installation has been photobombing selfies at a waterfall in Austria, and tourists are not happy.
The Mirafall waterfall in Ötschergräben Valley is a massive drawcard for visitors in the region and attracts massive crowds on weekends.
It is also now home to a controversial art installation called “Cliffhanger” by Austrian art collective Steinbrener, Dempf & Huber.
The piece is a fake, bright red tourist information box situated towards the top of the waterfall and, according to Zenger News, many of those visiting the waterfall have complained that it is ruining their selfies, or spoils the view.
However, the head of the nature park the waterfall is located in, Florian Schublach told Zenger that pleasing tourists was not the artwork’s intention.
“It was not intended to be a popular attraction,” he said.
“It was intended to be the opposite of a popular attraction. It was not set up to make a lot of people want to go there; more like the other way around.”
According to the art collective’s Instagram page, the Cliffhanger Collection is focused on bringing attention to the “selfie genre”, which “shows the phenomenon of tourism through a distorting mirror”.
View this post on Instagram
Christoph Steinbrener, who is a member of the art collective, told Zenger the installation was a “critique of mass tourism” and “a tongue-in-cheek joke at the expense of tourists”.
“During the week, there is nearly no one there, and it is really a very nice, romantic place,” he said.
“But at the weekend, it is the complete opposite. You have to stand in line, and it is completely overcrowded. This, for us, is a sign of the times.
“For us, it was in a way perfect. This area, every year, is completely overcrowded and in a way, this sense of nature is lost.”
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
art installation austria Christoph Steinbrener Cliffhanger Florian Schublach Mirafall Ötschergräben Valle overtourismLatest News
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