Parallel to the three-dimensional journey through time on site at the Künstlerhaus, for which only a selection of the digitised items are used, the entire collection of historical objects digitised in the course of this project can be viewed via the newly created online archive of the Künstlerhaus.

The selection of objects represents the three main pillars of the history of the Künstlerhaus and the Künstlerhaus Vereinigung: the exhibitions, the festivals, and the members themselves.

The objects not only document the history of the Künstlerhaus, they also form an indispensable source for Austrian (art) history research. The relevance of the archival material published in the course of this project results from the historical role that the Künstlerhaus Vereinigung has played since its foundation in 1861. For several decades, it represented the status of all artists in Vienna. Holding this monopoly position until the end of the 19th century.

The exhibition photographs, beginning with the International Jubilee Art Exhibition in 1888, show the Künstlerhaus as a place of art, but also of politics and propaganda. 

The exhibition category also includes the collection of posters. The transformation of posters as pure information mediums to an art form in their own right can be traced on the basis of over 200 digitised exhibition posters – from 1887 to 1946.

The catalogues of the Künstlerhaus complete the exhibition category. The historical catalogues from 1868 to 1910, which are a valuable source for art history and provenance research, are freely accessible.

The photographs of the Gschnas festivities are a highlight of this project. Gschnas was more than just a festival – as a pop-cultural event, it was both a costume festival and a cabinet of curiosities. Before the State Opera dominated the ball season with its Opera Ball, the Künstlerhaus and its Gschnas were the highlight of Viennese carnival.

The decorations were created by the members themselves and transformed the Künstlerhaus into a walk-in work of art that offered visitors an entertaining experience with its elaborately designed backdrops and was also intended to demonstrate the artistry of its creators. The Gschnas thus stood in contrast to the conventional, “boring” presentation of art. The setting, which only existed for a few days, was both ephemeral and topical at the same time: the humorous and satirical Gschnas art created each year reflected the current socio-political discourse. Under the jester's cap of the Gschnas, people made fun of everything, including themselves. The photo collection documents this Künstlerhaus, which was transformed into a place of artistic freedom.

The last category shows the Künstlerhaus as an association that was in dialogue with its members, the artists. The correspondence, in its various forms is both a biographical source and a document that illustrates the role and image of the Künstlerhaus.

In “The Künstlerhaus Experience”, two projects thus merge into one. On the one hand, the AR app “Künstlerhaus Experience”, with which the history of the Künstlerhaus can be experienced interactively, and on the other, the online archive, which serves as a database for the app implementation and via which the digitised objects are linked to Kulturpool.

The aim of the entire project is to make the cultural heritage of the Künstlerhaus accessible to a wider audience, and at the same time emphasise the diversity and significance of the artists' association. The combination of archive material and modern technology creates a completely new, immersive experience that brings the past and present together in an exciting way.