Falter

The first issue of the city newspaper “Falter” was published in 1977. More leaflet than magazine, on cheap paper, twelve pages folded, comic-like text collages and an emphatically casual typography. “City newspapers” of the time, such as the ‘Falter’, were part of the alternative movements and the New Left, and were therefore highly political projects. The “Falter” saw itself as an “anti-bourgeois program booklet”. It was about counterpoints to high culture, about “cafés after twelve”, “pubs with a program”, about initiatives, bookshops, theaters, cinemas, about an alternative cultural topography of the city.

The “Falter” photo archive reflects 40 years of alternative city history from the perspective of over 30 photographers. The focus is on topics such as architecture, public space, housing, ecology, protest movements and demonstrations, anti-racism, media criticism, the uncovering of scandals and, increasingly, lifestyle. A selection of photos from the “Falter” archive will be added to the Wien Museum collection to mark the anniversary.