Soviet Unterzoegersdorf is a fictitious country created by the art/technology/theory group monochrom. It is the "last existing appanage republic of the USSR", located inside the Republic of Austria. Unterzögersdorf is partially based on an existing village well-known to Johannes Grenzfurthner, the creator of the concept. As a kid and teenager, Grenzfurthner spent a lot of time at his grandparents' farm in the small village of Unterzögersdorf. His grandparents' stories about the Nazism, WWII and the Soviet occupation in allied-occupied Austria form the inspirational basis of the long-term project Soviet Unterzoegersdorf. Debates triggered by postmodern culture have directed monochrom's attention towards questions of representation and relevance of "history" and stories. With Soviet Unterzoegersdorf a fictitious and misplaced handling of the past and the present is being discussed and put to use. In this regard, the project is also taking part in the production as well as the criticism of cultural and collective memories. Monochrom transformed the basic theoretical concept into various projects.
A short film about a plumber trying to cross the border of Soviet Unterzoegersdorf to repair a nuclear warm-water boiler.
Public theatre performances (2001 and 2002)
In 2001, ten years after the end of the Soviet Union, monochrom transformed the theoretical concept into an improvisational theatre/performance/LARP that lasted for a couple of days. They organized bus tours from Vienna to Unterzoegersdorf—a small Lower Austrian village that really exists—and acted the setting; beginning with the harsh EU Schengenborder control. In 2002 they staged the 55th anniversary of the Communist Party of Soviet Unterzoegersdorf. Among other things monochrom presented a computer called "Hyper Hegel" that was powered with burning wood and that would only run a low tech version of Tetris. Later "Hyper Hegel" was presented as an art installation in exhibitions.
In 2005 monochrom presented the first part of a computer game trilogy: "Soviet Unterzoegersdorf – The Adventure Game". To monochrom it was clear that the adventure game would provide the perfect media platform to communicate the idea of Soviet Unterzoegersdorf. The first part of the game was very popular and was well received in the media. The game magazine Edge chose the game as their 'internet game of the month' of November 2005. The back story of the adventure game series features the really existing Tumulus of Unterzoegersdorf.
In 2008 monochrom staged a couple of public appearances of "His Excellency Ambassador of Soviet Unterzoegersdorf, Nikita Chrusov" in the United States. The "Ambassador" visited a at the Marriott Hotel in San Diego. He wanted to talk to executives about "the sugar-coated bullets" the corporation is firing at "his country" and other concepts of "cultural imperialism". The "Ambassador" from the party by Disney personnel. On September 11, 2009 the "Soviet Unterzoegersdorf Intelligence Corps" released a referring to a pretty detailed of Austrian civilian and military air traffic frequencies and recordings of two embarrassing conversations on Austrian police radio.
Sierra Zulu (2011–)
monochrom that they are working on a feature-length film that is set in the universe of Soviet Unterzoegersdorf. They are collaborating with the Austrian filmproduction companyGolden Girls Filmproduktion. Johannes Grenzfurthner gave a presentation at about the project. On February 4, 2012 monochrom and Golden Girls Filmproduktion premiered the 16-minute short film . It is a prequel to the feature film Sierra Zulu and features actors Jeff Ricketts, Martin Auer, Lynsey Thurgar, Adrienne Ferguson and Alexander Fennon.
Side projects
created an acclaimed series of video spots for Boing Boing Video, dealing with a mysterious packages full of Cheetos. The series is set in the alternative universe of Soviet Unterzoegersdorf.
