DannyB

Duncan Hallas at 100

Duncan Hallas was born on the 23rd December, 1925 into a working class family in Manchester. I shared a flat with Duncan for 2 – 3 years at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s. He was a good flat mate; democratic, fair and egalitarian. And of course, if you wanted a discussion aboutContinue reading “Duncan Hallas at 100”

The Merchant’s House

It is an occasion to catch up with oneself, to determine the location of here and now, the recent past; the future is always a shadowy blur. One wishes for magic, illusion, enigma, the mystery of light and shade in both harmony and tension draped over the stone and flint of a medieval church. DigitalContinue reading “The Merchant’s House”

Ella Briggs, Karl Marx & Modern Housing

The starting point for this walk is Spittelau U-Bahn. My starting point to get to Spittelau was one of the original Stadtbahn stations designed by Otto Wagner. It was a good introduction. If you take the U-Bahn to Spittelau look for the exit to Heiligenstädter Straße. As you approach this you will see the walkwayContinue reading “Ella Briggs, Karl Marx & Modern Housing”

The Radical Housing of Meidling, Vienna

This walk illustrates the scale of the house building by the Red Vienna council between 1919 to 1933. Several of the buildings were designed and constructed in the mid 1920s. There is a feeling here of confidence and optimism. Many of the changes which had been implemented by the social democratic council – a progressiveContinue reading “The Radical Housing of Meidling, Vienna”

Favoriten and the end of Vienna

The starting point for this walk is the tram stop at Laxenburger-Troststraße. Both the O and number 11 trams stop there. I caught the O tram from Ungargasse. It rattled past the Hauptbahnhof with its large ice-blocks of cold glass and steel and areas of non-space where concrete viaducts carry the railway lines. The landscapeContinue reading “Favoriten and the end of Vienna”

A Walk along Währinger Strasse

Währing – District 18 The walk starts at the Währinger Strasse Volksoper U-Bahn station and can be finished at Antonigasse where there’s a tram stop. The walk is about 3km in length. How long in time this walk will take will depend on how much you stroll and wander and look at things along theContinue reading “A Walk along Währinger Strasse”

A Modern Dream in Sturhof

The starting point for this walk is Heitzmann Hof and then a perambulation through streets and estates to Sturhof. The walk will take about two to three hours. The walk is a ramble rather than a continuous straight line or a circular route. There are small detours where you might find the need to retraceContinue reading “A Modern Dream in Sturhof”

Rabenhof, Vienna: A Radical Walk

You can start where you like with a visit to the Rabenhof estate in Vienna. Walk all the way around the perimeter, explore the alleyways and passages, watch the world go by, sit and read a book, sketch the buildings; what ever you do, make sure to explore. If you need a meeting place, theContinue reading “Rabenhof, Vienna: A Radical Walk”

All Collected up at the Naschmarkt

The Naschmarkt in Wien is as good a place as any to study the national question. It feels as if all the people of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire are here, selling the accumulated debris of the centuries. Amidst the tacky kitsch are art-deco dinner services, relices of war, objects of Empire. Some of the peopleContinue reading “All Collected up at the Naschmarkt”

The Man with the Box

I wrote something that I considered I ought to write. An exercise for an imagined writing class. Or in response to one of those books, ‘How to be a Writer’. It’s not really ‘writing’ that’s the issue. There’s plenty of that. A large mass of it is incoherent, introspective and of no interest. I didn’tContinue reading “The Man with the Box”