The Fesch'Markt

   Either your hot or your not. Or so the saying goes, and it seems that if you are, and you live in or around Graz, you go to the Fesch'Markt. 'Fesch' is a word that basically means cute or pretty and serves very successfully as an umbrella term for the wide array of products on display. Design, upcycling, clothes, personal grooming supplies, handmade assesoires, and of course, art (mostly prints). The Fesch'markt offers all sorts of things from the truly bizarre to the indescribably cool. I think it might be best described as catering to Austria's hipster/ alternative scene. The offerings are fun and unique. Where else can you shop designer clothes and eat vegan brownies simultaneously, Want a fish tank in an old television set, a handmade backpack, or beautiful handmade gold jewelry? This is the place.

   As you can probably guess, we were there this morning. Taking our bicycles and making our way across town on our first ever full family cycling outing, we were able to make it in time to eat lunch at the street food trucks outside. For those of you living in the US, trucks serving wraps, hot dogs, french fries, etc... may be pretty mundane, for us, they are special and have even been given a special name, 'Street Food'. Fast food is obviously something else. And so, I ate my firsts wrap since.... I don't know how long its been- maybe 13 years, maybe more, or less... I don't know. To be fair a local bakery did start offering wraps about a year ago, but I haven't had one. My children also tried a wrap and loved it. And joy of all joys it had black beans, but I diverge...

   One of the reasons I like this particular market is that it offers an array of items which are very different from one another. For example, the man who makes belts out of old bicycle tires creates a product different from the woman who makes filigraine stacking gold rings (Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the jewelry this time). The common theme, they are handmade, they are unique, and for some odd reason you can mix and match them.

   The Fesch'markt takes place twice per year in Graz, once in the Spring and once in Autumn. In Graz, it is held in the Seifen Fabrik, an old soap factory, I believe that the one in Vienna, which will be in November in case anyone missed this one, is in an old brewery. The industrial building works as the perfect backdrop for what's on offer.

    I find this market to be a great source of inspiration. As an artist it is easy to get stuck in a rut, always planning out your illustrations, or paintings the same way. Using similar techniques or just cranking out work without a lot of thought or planning. Seeing people who do things differently not only from you but also from each other, shakes that mindset a bit, causing the creative juices to flow. I always come back from such events with a new appreciation for my basic materials. Having seen people using them in so many interesting ways, or leaving them out altogether and using something else, inspires me to experiment more.

 

  And so, although I had a post three-quarters of the way written already, I decided to share my pictures from today, hoping to inspire you to look at things differently and perhaps do something creative right now.

   What spurs you on to new levels of creativity? Let me know in the Comments.

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* None of the artwork or handmade items in this post are mine, All of them were available at the Fesch'markt this weekend.