This is what it's all about.
Imagine a place where traditional craftsmanship comes to life, where you can learn old and experimental techniques while playing with old, obsolete but beautiful machines and enjoying some free time in the midst of Austria’s rolling wine-growing hills.
The place we want to create has a printing workshop, a photographic darkroom, a space for activities, art therapy and exhibitions, an archive for the works created in the workshop, a library with books on techniques, illustrated books and photo books, a kitchen with a dining area, a cosy space for resting and recharging the batteries, a wonderful view, a garden and of course…. a pizza oven!
We envision a space for culture, networking, exchange and relaxation: workshops, open days with artists from all over the world who will be invited regularly to develop projects on site to further enrich the cultural landscape of the region; also events, exhibitions, dinners, etc., and of course the possibility of renting the workshop.
In the 50 square metre workshop we plan to house the following equipment:
- One boston press (A5)
- A boston press (A2)
- An intaglio press
- An artist’s offset
- One mimeograph press
- A silk-screen printing press
- An exposure unit for screen printing
- A darkroom for alternative photography Plus everything you need for transparencies, negatives and so on…
Ideally we will be able to publish the first OPEN CALL for the first funded artist residency (planned for summer 2025) and organise the first workshops and events by the end of 2024.
Das Presshaus 
The garden 
The wild roses 
Inside 
Inside 
Inside
A bit of history...
We searched for a long time for the ideal location for this project, until we found an old abandoned building in the middle of the Weinviertel, which we renamed the ’Austrian Tuscany’, where grapes were once pressed and which is now in urgent need of new love and attention. Here, such buildings are called ’Presshaus’… This name says it all - because what could be more suitable than an old ’press house’ to house a few presses and to ’decompress’? We think it would be be the perfect place for a cosy printing studio!
The press house was first built in 1793 and housed a huge wooden press until the 1940s. It then passed from hand to hand and, almost abandoned, began to decay. Now it is up to us to bring it back to life! What is particularly important to us is to respect the historical substance of the building and the idyllic landscape, as well as to have as little ecological impact as possible during the restoration work. Therefore we want to restore it with natural and recycled materials from other historic buildings that were (unfortunately) demolished in the area.
1 7 9 3 F I 
Some stuff we found 
We're NOT going to throw that away!
This is what we need backing for...
Our first step is to secure the structure and renovate the roof before the rest of the restoration can begin. Our goal is to do as much as possible ourselves, but we need professionals to make this part safe for us and our future guests! So we are calling on all the hopeless romantics, inspiring illustrators, colourful graphic designers, curious photographers and playful architects out there to join us in saving this old building and preserving the magic of past printing techniques!
Poetry on the construction site 
Supporting the first floor