Blog
Offers a commented visual diary of our research field-trips – in a triangle between Vienna (A) Tallinn (EST) and Russe (BG)
Cleaning Crew
Every morning previous to the opening of the fair ground, the cleaning crew is busy. Nearly solely women working for several temporary employment... read more
Mapping the Fair
As a sample and for attracting more visitors, we mapped some paths of our interviewees directly on our booths‘ walls.... read more
Anniversary
By coincidence we attend the International Plovdiv Fair at its 70th anniversary. So we are invited for the gala dinner at the „St. Petersburg Hotel“, operated already during socialist times as „Leningrad Hotel“, which was back then the largest and most prestigious in town.
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Fair Encounters
In our imagination we considered the fair itself as an important node for encounters of different social milieus – both in past and present times!
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Trade Fair
One of my fellow travelers asks her best friend to drive me to the fair ground. What a kind welcome! Accidentally both are logistics managers – cooperating and working with an Austrian... read more
Arrival in Plovdiv
Everybody of the passengers is awaited by somebody. The lady in her 50-ties who is working as a nurse in a private home close to Innsbruck (A), is picked up by her daughter, her son-in-law and her grandchildren. She has been away from home for 3 weeks, like she alternately is the whole year – 3 weeks Plovdiv – 3 weeks... read more
Karat-S Headquaters
Just some minutes later and after criss crossing Sofia we change bus at the companies‘ parking, located close to a residential area within the city.
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Tsentralna Avtogara Sofiya
Arrival in Sofia early in the morning! One woman is picked up with her incredible amount of luggage. Mostly presents for and orders by relatives and friends – as she mentions. All the others including me get back in the bus, after having nice conversations and coffee in front of the snack... read more
Secondary Business
In the middle of the night we stop. No one gets off. The luggage compartment opens like magic and somebody takes out this huge plastic bags – probably wrapped bikes…? read more
Varna – Innsbruck – Varna
First stop after we left Vienna. In the bus there is plenty of room left. Besides the two drivers we’re just 9 passengers – 7 women and 2 men. All the others entered the bus already either in Innsbruck or in Linz. read more
Bus Trip: Platform A8
Focal aspects for „Stop and Go“ are various modes of transportation and rhythms. We decided also to make use of our trips and therefore travel by different means of transportation. The next occasion is our mapping workshop at the „International Trade Fair“ in Plovdiv (BG).
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Back Home
Our last border-crossing in Hegyeshalom (H)/ Nickelsdorf (A) reminds us of the tour through this border region we did prior to our trip. And it reminds us of the many meetings and talks in and around Vienna with ‚experts‘ and highly mobile... read more
Business as Usual
Another logistic hub, the „Europolis Park“ in the hinterland of Budapest and directly next to the M1 highway but from a prior stage of development. And again trucks of the successor company of... read more
Busy Logistic Hub
Quite often during our trip the reasons whether a road is packed with traffic or not were not always clear for us. At this busy logistic hub next to the M0 – the outer ring in the south of Budapest – it is obvious where all the trucks transfer their goods.
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Border Experience
Crossing the Serbian checkpoint was fast – passing the Hungarian took us and all the tourists, (former) guest-workers, etc. quite while. But being stuck was a good opportunity for conversations with several people on the rhythms of traveling... read more
SEZ – Special Economic Zone
Already in Vienna we got the hint that the Serbian border town Subotica is in terms of migration a very important node. It turned out that beside that it has even a Special Economic Zone for producing and processing goods. As well it will be an important hub for the planned and controversially South Stream... read more
Exit Indija
This brand new Outlet-Center is exactly located – of course next to the highway – but also almost exactly between Belgrade and Novi... read more