The performance ‘Flyering’ playfully reimagines the typical city-life
interaction of handing out flyers. In various locations in Vienna, I
stood on popular shopping streets and distributed small original
drawings to passersby. Each piece became a means to engage
with strangers, creating a surface of contact in the usually
anonymous and flow of people.
Transcript
28.04.2026
Time: 17-18:30
Locations: Mariahilferstrasse, Kärntner Strasse, Vienna
The first attempt went surprisingly well.
Immediately I sparked the interest of a couple who walked on at first, but then came back and wanted to buy a drawing. I told them it’s for free, they insisted on donating a couple of euros anyway. I also told them about the Sale im doing next weekend, they are not in Vienna but will tell their daughter to come.
At first I felt awkward, but this interaction was encouraging.
I started saying the phrases I had planned: ‘Kunst?’ ‘Abstrakte Kunst?’’ ‘Freie Kunst?’. While these felt conceptually interesting (especially the play on words with ‘Freie Kunst’), it didn’t seem to land.
As time progressed, I shifted to saying ‘Kleine Zeichnung?’ ‘eine Zeichnung am Nachmittag?’ ‘Kleines Geschenk?’. These phrases gave passers by a little more information, which seemed to work better, creating more interaction and acceptance.
I had a 180 drawings with me in total. I held about 10-15 in my hand at a time. It immediately became clear that it didn’t feel right to hand out drawings of A5 in size, these just seemed to big, not easy for people to take home safely. I therefore chose the smaller drawings, A6(ish) to distribute.
As people passed, I cycled through the drawings in my hand. If there was time to watch someone approach, I tried to choose one that might interest this person- trying to match the colours and style of the drawing with the impression they made on me.
Most people avoided eye contact, walked by. Some said no with eye contact, and very politely, though sometimes with visible discomfort. Some take the drawing almost automatically, often turning it over, possibly expecting to see some information on the back explaining what this is about, or at least some contact details or an instagram handle or something. I felt some satisfaction that this was not the case (there was only a signature, or a stamp of the letter M on the back). By including those details, the performance becomes little more than a marketing stunt. This way, it remains an artistic gesture. If people did stop to ask, I did shared my instagram and website details. This wasn’t so often, but it felt right only to share if asked to.
Sometimes, there was evident hesitation- a first impulse to say no, but I sensed some curiosity also. If I then insisted, reaching the drawing closer to them, maybe saying ‘it’s free’, ‘ein Geschenk’, sometimes they take it. Often then a sense of surprise, maybe laughter. It seemed to be more often these people that would then interact more, say something, ask a question. Confusion and gratitude mixed together.
A few people expressed clear and direct interest, and real appreciation for the drawings themselves, taking a moment to really look. In these interactions, the sense that this was an unusual experience for these people was evident. They were touching, to me and I think to them also, an moment of connection. With these, I am most confident that the drawings and the memory of the interaction will be cherished. There were maybe 4-5 of these more extended interactions, and these stand out in my memory too. They inspire me to repeat the performance.
The difference in location between Mariahilferstrasse and Kärnterstrasse was noticable, but not strong. There seemed to be more tourists on Kärnterstrasse, though it wasn’t possible to discern any significant difference in their behaviour or that of locals. Also more people I perceived as rich. Here, I noticed a difference in my feeling towards giving them drawings- both an expectation that there may be more interest, more appreciation of the drawings, and also a sense that just giving those people the drawings felt less unexpected somehow. like they are used to the world just handing them things. This was a projection i think.
Exploring other areas will be interesting in this respect, exploring my own expectations and projections and possibly actual differences in the reactions of people in those places.
Also worth trying would be longer periods. I stayed in each location for a relatively short time, about 20 mins each. I wonder how it would change the experience to make it more of an endurance test, doing hours in one location.
