Wien 2 is a collection of 140 photographs taken in Vienna, Austria between 1995 and 2009. Many of the images are exterior architectural views that deal with the process of urban regeneration. The photographs have an ambiguous sense of place because they avoid obvious landmarks and are for a large part untitled. Oberdanner uses a snapshot aesthetic that attempts to create a rhythm of seeing. Her approach is similar to a 19th century flâneur, wandering around cities as a detached observer in an effort to comprehend urban phenomena and modernity.

The photographs are printed full-page and switch between landscape and portrait formats, forcing the viewer to constantly turn the book in different directions. This layout strategy creates a tactile aspect to the book that in some ways replicates the wandering inquisitiveness of Oberdanner's eye. Many of the locations within Wien were repeatedly documented over a number of years and are presented in a time-lapse sequence. Using these sets of images, the viewer can observe how certain areas have evolved or devolved over a long period of time.



Wien is a sociological exploration of a city that is unravelling and in a constant state of flux. Sequences of photographs show how individual buildings are destroyed, replaced or altered whilst others remain in stasis. Oberdanner examines the way in which these divergent archaeological strata compete for space and how they are often subsumed by development. A hole in a modern door reveals another door beneath that appears to be from another century. Other images show a once ornate stone facade that has been covered over with flat concrete. The only evidence of the buildings previous incarnation is a stone torso that defiantly juts out from the uniformity of the concrete. Hedges are methodically trimmed to resemble rectangles and new playground attractions lie inert, wrapped in plastic. These images reveal the labyrinth of layers that exist within the city whilst conveying a sense of hidden or anonymous memories. The close up images within Wien succinctly reveal the poetics and nuances of these city spaces. In contrast one feels colder and more detached when looking at the wider angled views of lifeless, high-rise buildings that dominate many areas of the city. These images feel dry and mundane but the contrast between the macro and micro views creates a distinct jogging pace, as if Oberdanner is searching for a pattern within the turmoil. Overall, Wien takes an unconventional and lateral look at the ways in which urban spaces are developed, occupied, regenerated and interacted with. —John Mathews