Åndas

Åndas is a beer brewed in the Salzkammergut that turns local tradition into a meeting point for cultural exchange. Made with regional ingredients and flavours inspired by West Africa, it brings together distinct culinary lineages to create a shared, hybrid taste.

Presented as billboards across the Salzkammergut, the project featured young Austrians of African descent wearing dirndls and lederhosen—an unexpected and striking sight in this region. These images broaden the sense of who is visible, who belongs, and how Austrian identity can be understood today.

This conversation extends into the short film Der Zeit ihr Kleid. Dem Kleid seine Freiheit, conceived in the format of a TV commercial but installed here as video art. Close-up views of traditional garments reveal intricate stitching, patterns, and textures, with the camera gliding across the clothing as if moving over landscapes. As the frame slowly widens, dark-skinned bodies come into view. Set to an Afrobeat soundtrack and referencing attire from Alt Aussee, the film bridges past and present, continuity and change.

Åndas is more than a beverage; it is a cultural gesture, an invitation to imagine a more open and inclusive understanding of community, where variation becomes a shared strength.