POP 1900–2000

Which band from Gradenberg once managed to outclass even Elvis Presley in the Austrian hit parade? And what was the Styrian answer to Woodstock? POP 1900-2000 takes popular music in Styria in the 20th century as its theme.

The focus here is on Styrian protagonists as well as bands, their music, and the venues where it was performed and heard; also covered are the lifestyles they led and worlds they inhabited, examined in the interplay between and context of a (Styrian) history of events and the media, as well as everyday culture.

Thus, the exhibition offers insight into Styrian music-making in the entertainment sector, creating bridges between cultural and social developments, focusing on what is little known, or meanwhile forgotten, touching on a whole group of music genres and categories that are not clearly delineated.

The story is told using diverse photographs, film and video recordings, as well as technical devices and artefacts relating to the history of media, as well as, of course, the music itself and those who ‘made’ it.