Turning the Tide: The Weight of a Prompt - Sebastian Schmidt & Victoria Becker

As part of the European cooperation project Turning the Tide and supported by the River // Cities Network, artist Sebastian Schmidt and supporting artist Victoria Becker investigated the hidden infrastructures that shape contemporary urban life. Their project, The Weight of a Prompt, focused on water systems, sustainability and the often-invisible networks that support cities and communities.

Through artistic research, workshops and performative interventions, participants explored how water moves through urban environments and how ecological systems influence everyday life. The project examined the relationship between urban development, environmental responsibility and public space, inviting audiences to reflect on the infrastructures that are essential to city life yet frequently remain unseen.

Presented in Seestadt Aspern, the final performance transformed environmental questions into a shared experience. By combining movement, participation and artistic inquiry, Schmidt and Becker contributed to a wider European conversation about water, resilience and sustainable urban futures.

Publication Date: 29 October 2025
Event: Local Urban Lab IV – Public Presentation
Location: Seestadt Aspern, Vienna, Austria