Christina Gruber

The Fishy Podcasts are a series of conversations between Christina Gruber and river enthusiasts exploring the relationship of how the river Traisen can be a habitat for the Huchen (Danube Salmon).

Concept, Producer, Host: Christina Gruber

Interview partners: Gregor Gravogl, Gertrud Haidvogl, Günther Unfer

Many of the forms that water took and the ways of being that gave us hundreds and hundreds of types of water have disappeared or are in the process of disappearing, don’t you know? If we don’t preserve the words, we will have lost them forever. And then we will have even given up the intention or desire to ever find them again. We need words to remind us of what is and what has been, even if they cause us pain.

Christina Gruber’s work navigates the confluence of art and science by delving into transition zones between water and land. Her work scrutinises societal phenomena and their impact on the Earth’s surface, with water serving as a crucial link between diverse narratives, from atmospheric clouds and otolith stories to the realms of data centres. 

During one of our walks in St. Pölten, we discussed the implications of submerging an art object in the river. What would the underwater inhabitants of the Traisen think about that? Would we even allow them to have a say? Why not listen to them for a change? 

As a freshwater ecologist, Christina’s practice explores interspecies relationships, alternative caregiving, political resilience and ecological pedagogy in the form of speculative narratives along major rivers. Examples of this work include her intense role as a protector of sturgeon, publications like From Mud To Outer Space, co-authored with Paula Cohen, or projects such as the Lobau Listening Comprehensions (LLC). 

Huchenhochzeit (The Danube Salmon’s Wedding) reflects Christina’s interdisciplinary approach by unravelling the underwater world of the River Traisen. Focused on the Huchen —or the Danube Salmon—, a flagship species within the Danube system, the project combines a site-specific sound installation on the Rotary Bridge in St. Pölten with the activation of the river’s soundscape through the creation of the Fishy Podcast. This podcast delves into the Huchen’s history, challenges and relationships, featuring interviews with local experts and river enthusiasts. The Fishy Podcast offers a platform for rediscovering our watery origins and exploring potential approaches to coexistence and mutual care. 

Huchenhochzeit —or mating dance— a key event that symbolises the species’ survival, becomes a lens through which we reconnect with St. Pölten’s aquatic past and envision a sustainable future. In the face of the Huchen’s threatened extinction, Christina’s work underscores the urgency of conservation and restoration projects on the Lower Traisen.  

Technical support: 

Felix Vierlinger 
Aaron Kimmig

Sound Editing Listening Station:

Abby Lee Tee

Historical Maps: 

Tobias E. Hämmerle, NÖ Landesarchiv und NÖ Landesbibliothek

Karte der unregulierten Traisen bei St. Pölten um 1820. NÖ Landesbibliothek, St. Pölten, BIII_126_2

Christina Gruber (1987, Amstetten) is an artist, freshwater ecologist and lecturer. She lives and works in Lower Austria. Gruber studied at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna. She often combines her artistic practice with her scientific research. In addition to international and national group and solo exhibitions (puuul space, Vienna, 2022 and Kulturtankstelle, Linz, 2018), participation in international conferences, writing books (From Mud to Outer Space, 2018, together with Paula Cohen) and designing radio programs. In her current artistic research project Lobau Listening Comprehensions, she is working in an interdisciplinary team with Julia Grillmayr and Sophia Rut on the acoustic history of the Lobau (lobaulistening.at).

https://christinagruber.net/