07.01. | Alt-Erlaa, or Paradise for High-Rise Living

Summer is beginning, and we immediately jumped in at the deep end—photographically speaking. Our first victim, or rather source of inspiration, was Vienna's Alt-Erlaa: once imagined as a kind of social-housing utopia and today an enormous concrete landscape where, by reputation, people actually quite like living.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, what exactly did we get up to there?

A warning: Alt-Erlaa is not a typical tourist attraction.

It is a gigantic residential complex built mainly in the 1970s and early 1980s in response to Vienna's housing needs while attempting something genuinely new. Architect Harry Glück and his collaborators imagined a place where people would not merely occupy apartments but actually live well.

What makes it unusual?

Large green areas, rooftop swimming pools, local services, shopping and medical facilities. It feels almost like a small city within the city.

The ambition was for residents to feel not merely housed but part of a community.

For one afternoon, at least, we became one too.

Camera Torture in the Alt-Erlaa Jungle

Our small group set off—including two enthusiastic newcomers who had no idea what they were signing up for.

Because our ages ranged generously from grandmother generation to young-titan territory, I decided to begin with a twist.

Everyone switched their phone or camera to black-and-white mode, as though we were browsing a great-grandmother's photo album.

We also used the exposure-adjustment trick from the previous session. Smartphone photographers had one additional instruction: rotate the phone 180 degrees so the lens sits lower.

Yes, upside down.

Why?

Because we like challenges—and because changing the physical position of a phone can produce surprisingly different perspectives.

Our first theme was “teardrop”.

Not a literal shiny tear, but what sits behind it: story, mood, emotion.

I expected it to throw everyone in at the deep end, but Alt-Erlaa proved so visually rich that strong—or at least interesting—images appeared almost immediately. Walls, staircases, graffiti: apparently every surface was hiding a teardrop if a photographer looked at it in the right way.

Encouraged by that first success, we moved to a greener area where light and shadow were already doing half the artistic work for us.

The next theme: “tunnel”.

Again, not necessarily a literal tunnel. We were after the feeling: turning inward, moving from darkness towards light, or following a path that seems endless.

This is where some genuinely strong pictures emerged. Participants also handled aperture and depth-of-field choices with increasing confidence.

Professional-looking results, straight from the camera, without post-production.

Then came the cherry on top: the James Bond challenge.

I paired everyone up and asked them to photograph each other as though the image belonged on a James Bond poster.

Futuristic or natural background, strong character, a clearly directed mood.

Creativity exploded.

People directed each other, posed, laughed, adjusted, tried again—and the results speak for themselves.

Perhaps the future Bond photographer is already in the group.

Walk the site. Watch the light change. If you see something that makes your heart beat faster, photograph it.

The result was a set of personal, atmospheric moments that closed the day perfectly.

Rain Plan for July 8: MAK Museum, Vienna

Life does not stop here. Every Tuesday we'll discover another place.

And because the forecast suggested that the skies might be crying on Tuesday, July 8, our next destination would be the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.

MAK is not simply a museum; it brings together applied art, design and architecture, with exhibitions ranging from historical collections to contemporary questions about the future.

At the time, the programme included:

WATER PRESSURE: Gestaltung für die Zukunft — design and thinking about how we shape the future. (May 21 – September 7, 2025)

HITO STEYERL: “Der Menschheit ist die Kugel bei einem Ohr hinein und beim anderen herausgeflogen” — a title difficult enough before you've even entered the exhibition. (June 25, 2025 – January 11, 2026)

MUSTER DER MODERNE: Meisen-Kimonos aus der MAK Sammlung – Schenkung Friis — kimonos, birds and design history. (March 12 – August 24, 2025)

GIRL MEETS MANGA: a Tokyo manga biography, 1985–1992 — a trip back to Japanese visual culture of the 1980s and 1990s. (April 2 – August 17, 2025)

BLOCKCHAIN:UNCHAINED: New Tools for Democracy — blockchain, technology and democratic systems. (November 20, 2024 – August 17, 2025)

SIDEKICKS: Ringe und Taschen aus der MAK Sammlung — rings and bags from the MAK collection. (May 10 – November 2, 2025)

JOHANN STRAUSS: RAUSCH UND EKSTASE: Feministischer Ausdruckstanz im Plakat 1900–1933 — expressive dance, posters and cultural history. (June 17 – November 2, 2025)

For the extended Tuesday-evening opening, a separate “Dienstagabend Ticket” was required through the museum website for July 8.

Meeting point: between 17:45 and 18:00 at the museum's main entrance, Museum für angewandte Kunst, Stubenring 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.

Come along and prepare for another artistic adventure.

Who knows? Perhaps we'll discover another teardrop—or a tunnel leading straight into a new exhibition.

Part of the BANHALMI ecosystem

For the professional context and practical side of portrait photography, visit the BANHALMI professional website. Related art series, books and exhibitions are preserved in the BANHALMI ART archive.