In many parts of Vienna old-established small businesses and shops get replaced by a growing number of solariums, betting offices and call shops. These places can be regarded as a new form of salo(o)n - as places of communication and entertainment, small and intimate, as a refuge.
As a sign of this apparent change an abandoned shop facade in the Viennese Reindorfgasse is covered with a large print of such a new 'salon' - the EuroSalon - for the duration of SalonXV. The use of the economic area, the cultural and social significance of these premises, and the change of the urban landscape are put up for discussion.

The EuroSalon is a hybrid of solarium, betting office and call shop, which was digitally composed of a 4x5" film scan and several shop details. You can zoom into the EuroSalon by clicking into the above picture and/or using a scroll wheel (right-click for help). Or see the magnificent and zoomable full-screen high-resolution version.

This work follows my earlier project New Economy. General information about the eyes-on festival (European Month of Photography Vienna) can be accessed here.

Credits: Thanks to Alexander Kreutzer for his great help in mounting the banner and Michael Nikolajuk for the preparation on-site. Many thanks to Susanne Jakszus and Pascal Petignat for their feedback and support during this project and to the kind shop owners Mr. & Mrs. Brödl. High resolution zooming powered by OpenZoom.

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