The Heritage Gate

“A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past”, Wikipedia says.

History becomes narratives. These narratives give rise to hope, memory, pride, and through them, one finds justification for one's own actions. Ultimately, history becomes culture. But even if one could assume that historiography has always been flawless and precise, and not colored by power relations, patriarchy, and class as is commonly the case, variations on this history would arise over time. These variations are in turn reinterpreted, and the wheel begins to turn again. So you see, invoking this tradition and origin is a delicate matter.

For the Angewandte Festival 2025, I joined forces with Lisalotte Tscherteu , Hiuming Li, Laura Frühmesser und Derin Sahin realizing our take on the semesters brief “Monuments of the Future”.

By 2055, Austria abandons modernity to transform into a “Living Heritage State", a nation where every citizen becomes a “Cultural Steward,” performing a scripted role from an idealised imperial past.
Vienna is reimagined as an immersive, curated reenactment marketed as “Europe’s Most Authentic Nation.” Streets become stages, homes become museums, and authentic life blurs with perpetual performance.
This isn't just tourism, it's governance through nostalgia.

© Ronja-Elina Kappl

© Ronja-Elina Kappl

Turn away from the staged grandeur, and the reverse side tells another story. Beneath the layers of whitewash, protest slogans bleed through, graffiti claws at the surface, and dissent is papered over, again and again. The gate doesn’t just mark a boundary between past and present; it’s a battleground. On one side, a country performing its own myth, where nationalism isn’t just lived but acted out, where heritage is besides about roots as well about rehearsed nostalgia. On the other, the voices that refuse the script: Those who know that traditions, when stripped of their contradictions and conflicts, become hollow props in someone else’s production.

The Heritage Gate marks the entrance to a future where performance replaces memory. Its baroque façade, adorned with gold-and-white national symbols and shimmering 2.5D reliefs, glorifies Austria as a curated tourism state. Built from timber and stagecraft materials, the structure is both monumental and theatrical.
More set piece than sculpture. Yet the façade is just that.

© Ronja-Elina Kappl

© Ronja-Elina Kappl

© Ronja-Elina Kappl

© Ronja-Elina Kappl

The Construction

The Heritage Gate’s design demanded a technical solution to counteract wind exposure while preserving its monumental presence. At 7 meters wide and 4 meters tall, the structure’s size made a single, rigid assembly impractical under high wind loads. To resolve this, the gate was split into three distinct, independently operable panels, each integrated with a dedicated pulley system.

This modular approach allows the panels to be lowered or raised separately, minimizing structural stress and ensuring smooth operation even in challenging conditions. When fully assembled, the three sections align seamlessly, maintaining the gate’s visual and symbolic coherence.

© Lee Harather

© Lee Harather