Welcome to the EXPO! In its intervention, The Department (TD) declares without further ado that Vienna’s 6th district is the site of a World Expo, at which shops, service providers, and institutions are presented as the economic and social connectors within Mariahilf. A map of the EXPO Site guides passersby and visitors through the district and to the locations of the various exhibitors. In addition to this, curated tours through the neighborhood, led by residents, are on offer on three days. Besides the exchange of goods, the primary aims of the project EXPO – EXCHANGE POTENTIALS are to inform, enthuse, and interest. In this way, we see how design tools can trigger a change of perspective that turns the relationship between global and hyper-local relevance on its head.

The opening times are those of the pavilions (of the shops, clubs, workshops, and institutions that are participating in the EXPO). The map of the EXPO Site is available in the Festival Headquarters of the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK. 

Registration at expo@the-department.eu

EXPO Opening Ceremony: 17.09.2022, 10.45am
Welcome by the District Head of Mariahilf, Markus Rumelhart.

Tour A – Homo Ludens

This tour begins with a visit to ‘Memoba’, Austria's oldest shop for model railways on Ägidigasse. We continue to ‘SpielRaum’ and ‘Planet Harry’, two specialist shops for games in which truly new worlds can be discovered. Conclusively we will visit ‘Bücher Ernst’ with its fascinating labyrinth of books to finally disappear in the Japanese restaurant ‘Tokyo Boom’ which not only celebrates the japanese kitchen but also its pop culture.

This tour provides an insight into the world of small pleasures that are often just around the corner. Why flying overseas if your imagination can bring you even further?

Date & Time: Sa 17.9.; 11:00

Starting point: Kurt-Pint-Platz

Participants: Bücher Ernst - Memoba Modelleisenbahnen – SpielRaum – Planet Harry – Tokyo Boom

Tour B – Arts & Classics

Right at the beginning of this tour there is a coffee at the ‘PensionistInnenklub Mariahilf’. We continue, among other things, with a visit to ‘schulteswien, a plastics processing workshop that mainly works with artists. At ‘Feurich Klaviermanufaktur’ it is explained how a piano is made and ‘Gallery KRAS’ gives an insight into the rich art world around Stumpergasse. The final stop is ‘Gschamster’ Diener, a typical Viennese pub.

This tour highlights the rich artistic and cultural live of the 6th district and provides a look over the people’s shoulder who are part of the artistic and social live of Mariahilf.

Date & Time: Mi 21.9.; 13:00

Starting point: Kurt-Pint-Platz

Participants: PensionistInnenklub Mariahilf (2,5G rule)* - Die Kaffeeschwestern - schulteswien - Feurich Klaviermanufaktur - Galerie KRAS - Gschamster Diener

* 2,5G means: fully vaccinated or recovered or tested (only PCR tests are valid)    

Tour C – Craftswomanship

We start at 'bitter süss', a Mariahilfer chocolate manufacturer, and move on to 'Liebenswert', an erotic shop for women that also houses Austria's only condom museum. After a visit to goldsmith ‘K. Schmid & K. Reimann’, we end the tour at ‘Augora Fermente’ – an atelier/restaurant/shop experimenting with all kinds of fermentation.

This tour gives a sneak peek into the abundance of people in Mariahilf who specialized in exceptional crafts that can’t be found anywhere else in Vienna.

Date & Time: Fr. 23.9. 16:00

Starting point: Kurt-Pint-Platz

Participants: bitter süss - Liebenswert & condomi plusherz – MIYAGI – Goldschmiedeatelier K. Schmid & K. Reimann – Augora Fermente