Florian Schmitt’s multifaceted project Tiroler Neukonstruktionen deals with three different themes. Firstly, the photographic question of creating spatiality in a flat image, a recurring subject in his work. Secondly, the historical-political dimension of Südtiroler Siedlungen (South Tyrolean settlements), and thirdly, the question of a Tyrolean style, explored in Neutiroler Stil / Viele Grüße aus Innsbruck and Innsbruck JETZT.
During photographic walks, Florian Schmitt collected photo notes with his cell phone or camera. Pulling from this image archive, he then created analog and digital collages. Some of these works consist of printed photographs assembled into models that were then re-photographed. Other works were enhanced with software like Adobe Illustrator. As with his projects on other cities, Florian Schmitt began by observing Innsbruck and “hiking” it to get a feel for the architectural variety of its forms. In addition to a mix of styles including Renaissance, 1930s era and contemporary buildings, he paid special attention to the South Tyrolean settlements.
The so-called Pact of Steel signed by Hitler and Mussolini in 1939 and the alleged “Option” paved the way for creating a large number of apartments in a very short period. Due to “Sondermaßnahme S,” a special measure that was classified as important for the war, 34 settlements were created in Tyrol alone, which offered a new place to stay to about 75,000 South Tyroleans. It was not only the National Socialists who tried to use architecture to evoke certain feelings of cohesion, community and security, however. The tendency to want to shape a homogeneous style is often related to tradition, nationality and identity.
The work Tiroler Neukonstruktionen can be seen as an attempt to show the diversity of Tyrolean architecture and to question common clichés. Florian Schmitt’s constructions of “typical” Tyrolean architectural elements invite, with a wink of the eye, for sensitive topics to be brought into focus, creating incentives for discussion. His colorful and detailed compositions take diversity and translate it into new forms.