Pflasterspektakel
Encyclopedia
The Pflasterspektakel (ˈpflastɐʃpɛkˌtakl̩, German
for pavement spectacle) is an annual street art festival
in Linz
, the capital of Upper Austria
. It includes musical acts, juggling
, acrobatics
, pantomime
, improvisational theatre
, clown
ery, fire dancing
, painting, samba
parades, as well as a programme for children, and is held on three days in July in and around the main square and the Landstraße. In 2010, about 400 artists from over forty nations participated in the event.
, a market place in Marrakesh, which he visited during birthday celebrations for King Hassan II of Morocco
before 1985.
The inaugural festival took place from 16 to 19 July 1987, under the name of Internationale Straßenmusikantentage (International Street Musicians' Days). It comprised about 150 musicians, most of them from Austria and Germany
, including a samba group from Munich
. It was decided that the event should be repeated the following year, this time under the present name of Linz Pflasterspektakel and featuring acrobats, magicians and mime
s in addition to the musicians.
1989, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall
, artists from Eastern Bloc
countries performed in Linz. From this year onwards, organisers had to select artists because there were more applications than could be accommodated. In 2000, as well as some of the following years, over 250,000 visitors attended the Pflasterspektakel to see artists from Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
Artists are performing at around forty locations throughout the city of Linz, in and around the main square and the Landstraße. Two courtyards are reserved for musicians playing unplugged
or a cappella
. In case of rain, the event moves to the old city hall and other indoor locations.
as well as Radio Oberösterreich
, local newspapers, and a bank. The artists are only paid for their travel costs, accommodation, breakfast, and 25 euro
s of cash per day for their expenses. Their main income is derived from visitors' donations.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for pavement spectacle) is an annual street art festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
in Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
, the capital of Upper Austria
Upper Austria
Upper Austria is one of the nine states or Bundesländer of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders on Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as on the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg...
. It includes musical acts, juggling
Juggling
Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
, acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
, clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
ery, fire dancing
Fire dancing
Fire dancing is a group of performance arts or disciplines that involve manipulation of objects on fire...
, painting, samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
parades, as well as a programme for children, and is held on three days in July in and around the main square and the Landstraße. In 2010, about 400 artists from over forty nations participated in the event.
History
The Pflasterspektakel was created by Siegbert Janko, cultural manager of Linz since 1985. He ascribes the idea to his impressions of Djemaa el FnaDjemaa el Fna
Jamaa el Fna is a square and market place in Marrakesh's medina quarter . The origin of its name is unclear: Jemaa means "congregational mosque" in Arabic, probably referring to a destroyed Almoravid mosque...
, a market place in Marrakesh, which he visited during birthday celebrations for King Hassan II of Morocco
Hassan II of Morocco
King Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
before 1985.
The inaugural festival took place from 16 to 19 July 1987, under the name of Internationale Straßenmusikantentage (International Street Musicians' Days). It comprised about 150 musicians, most of them from Austria and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, including a samba group from Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. It was decided that the event should be repeated the following year, this time under the present name of Linz Pflasterspektakel and featuring acrobats, magicians and mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
s in addition to the musicians.
1989, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, artists from Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
countries performed in Linz. From this year onwards, organisers had to select artists because there were more applications than could be accommodated. In 2000, as well as some of the following years, over 250,000 visitors attended the Pflasterspektakel to see artists from Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
Time and locations
The Pflasterspektakel takes place on three days during the second half of July. The opening ceremony is held on a Thursday at 4 p.m.; on the following Friday and Saturday, the festival starts at 2 p.m. Closing time is at midnight each day, but some musicians play in pubs until 1 a.m. By tradition, spontaneously formed groups of artists improvise a finale (or several finales) on Saturday evening on the main square.Artists are performing at around forty locations throughout the city of Linz, in and around the main square and the Landstraße. Two courtyards are reserved for musicians playing unplugged
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
or a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
. In case of rain, the event moves to the old city hall and other indoor locations.
Funding
The event is sponsored by the municipalityMunicipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
as well as Radio Oberösterreich
Radio Oberösterreich
Radio Oberösterreich is the regional radio for Upper Austria, and is part of the Österreich 2 group.It is broadcast by the ORF, and the programs from Radio Oberösterreich are made in the ORF Oberösterreich Studio....
, local newspapers, and a bank. The artists are only paid for their travel costs, accommodation, breakfast, and 25 euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s of cash per day for their expenses. Their main income is derived from visitors' donations.