How Much Weight Can A Boat Carry?

PERMANENT INSTALLATION IN PUBLIC SPACE

with Olga Mathilde Gärtner, Luīze Nežberte and Magdalena Stückler

How Much Weight Can a Boat Carry? / Can a Boat Carry Its Own Weight?, 2024

The white ceramic elements on the roof and floor of the boat-shaped tram station on Klosterplatz stand for physical resources and products that we as a society­ depend on, but also for intangible values, customs and traditions. Which of these do we want to keep? Which ones do we want to discard? The yellow paddle is a reminder that, as a democratic community, we have a choice as to which direction our collective „boat“ steers.

It represents the opportunity to bring about positive change and set course for a more sustainable future.

For the ceramic elements, there was a direct collaboration with the sanitary ceramics manufacturer LAUFEN, which forms an important part of the local industry in Gmunden.

The artistic intervention was created as part of­ salzkammergut 2024 in cooperation with Stern & ­ Hafferl Verkehr and the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

All following photos are screenshots taken from regional TV reports by salzi.tv and TV1 Oberösterreich. 

Work details


Title: How Much Weight Can a Boat Carry? / Can a Boat Carry Its Own Weight?

Artists: Olga Mathilde Gärtner, Luīze Nežberte, Magdalena Stückler, Janina Weißengruber

Year: 2024

Materials: Sanitary ceramics, steel, wood, lacquer, glass paint

The ceramic elements for this project were produced at the local LAUFEN factory in Gmunden

Funded by Stern+Hafferl in the frame of Kunst erFAHRen for salzkammergut24, European cultural capital 24 Ein Projekt der Abteilung Skulptur und Raum, Klasse Hans Schabus, betreut von Eva Engelbert, Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien

© J.W. 2025