Hippy cheek

摘要

Graz has two Laura Ashleys, yet one in five of the population arc students. This 'funny society' - Peter Cook's way of trying to describe what makes Austria's second city tick - now has a funny building to match. The Kun-sthaus, by Cook and his Spacelab partner Colin Fournicr (with help from former students of the Bartlctt, where Cook is head of school and Fournier a professor), has been a slow burn. Graz has wanted a new home for contemporary art for almost two decades. It has run three competitions, the second of which Cook almost won with a scheme he calls 'The Tongue' for a site on the Schlonberg, a stepped hill on the city's right bank. Despite some recent interventions, this former fortress is fiercely protected and the scheme was abandoned. This third attempt, located on the left bank of the Mur, is boosted by the city's status as Cultural Capital of Europe 2003.