Arts Initiative KNIE was founded as an initiative for

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

in 1995 in

Oberndorf bei Salzburg Oberndorf bei Salzburg ( Central Bavarian: ''Owerndorf ba Såizburg'') is a small city in the Austrian state of Salzburg, about 17 km (11 mi) north of the City of Salzburg. It is situated on the river Salzach in the Flachgau district. ...

. It is the origin of the

stolperstein A (; plural ) is a concrete cube bearing a brass plate inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. Literal translation, Literally, it means 'stumbling stone' and metaphorically 'stumbling block'. ...

project in

Braunau am Inn District Bezirk Braunau is a district of the state of Upper Austria in Austria. History During the Bavarian uprising of 1705 and 1706 the country defense congress ("Braunau Parliament") was held in Braunau. In addition to leader Johann Georg Meindl, born i ...

. Influenced by the concept of intervention, the Arts Initiative KNIE sees itself as an intermediary and a critical voice. The Arts Initiative KNIE installed art in the

public sphere The public sphere () is an area in social relation, social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion, Social influence, influence political action. A "Public" is "of or c ...

, where the relationship to its location is unmistakable. The ''Grenzpavillion'' ("Border Pavilion"), located on the Salzachknie riverbend between Laufen and Oberndorf, has ideal qualifications. The pavilion is a large cube, roughly 8 meters a side, with doors, windows and a weatherproof roof. Over time, it became an "art station", which from 1995 to 2002 served primarily as a venue for symposia. Concepts such as borders, river, bridge, relationship history, technology, disaster, nature and art are transposed by invited artists into sensory images to experience. National and international artists have created installations, performance evenings,

onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia (or rarely echoism) is a type of word, or the process of creating a word, that phonetics, phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Common onomatopoeias in English include animal noises such as Oin ...

and paintings. In 1997,

Gunter Demnig Gunter Demnig (born 27 October 1947) is a German artist. He is best known for his ''Stolperstein'' ("stumbling block") memorials to the victims of Nazi persecution, including Jews, homosexuals, Romani people, Romani and the disabled. The project ...

's Project Stolperstein nearly ended Initiative KNIE. On February 2, 2002, German artists Julius Deutschbauer and Gerhard Spring announced the end of the arts initiative. In 2006,

Andreas Maislinger Andreas Maislinger (born 26 February 1955 in Sankt Georgen bei Salzburg, St. Georgen near Salzburg, Austria) is an Austrian political scientist and wiktionary:Founder, founder and former chairman of the Austrian Service Abroad. He also is the fou ...

invited Gunter Demnig back to Braunau am Inn to install 13 more ''stolpersteine'' in honor of Nazi victims."Stolperstein-Verlegung 2011: Stolpersteine im Friedensbezirk Braunau am Inn"
Projekt Friedensbezirk Braunau am Inn. Retrieved February 18, 2011.

References

{{reflist Arts organizations established in 1995 Culture of Salzburg (federal state) Arts in Austria 1995 establishments in Austria