THE MAN WHO GAVE LOISIUM ITS NAME
»ICH GRAVIERTE
DIE GESCHICHTE DES GRÜNEN VELTLINERS IN ZEICHENSPRACHE AUF DAS EINGANGSPORTAL DER LOISIUM-WEINWELT.« Hugo Schaer, Künstler
EHis work is characterized by hieroglyphic-esque letters – and it is as integral to LOISIUM as wine and a relaxed ambience. Swiss artist Hugo Schaer has worked on LOISIUM since its earliest days. »Around the turn of the millennium, I was asked if I’d be interested in conceiving a wine tourism destination. For three years, I made the commute to Langenlois. I felt at home and experienced fantastic hospitality – it felt like paradise.« By 2003, Schaer had created his first paradise for future LOISIUM guests, part museum, part historical wine cellar and part modern winepressing techniques. While Schaer came up with the concept for LOISIUM – and its name (a combination of Elysium and Langenlois) – star architect Steven Holl constructed the hotel later on. »I not only worked as the artistic director of the project, but also as an artist. I made the symbols near the entrance to WeinWelt and created seven metallic sculptures for the cellar labyrinth, which hold the secrets of wine.« Visitors, he says, want to see and understand what it is they are drinking. »They want emotions, secrets and stories. Conveying them is my job.« Since he began the project, his appreciation of wine has evolved and aged – just like the nectar of the gods. »I’m not a wine expert, but I am a big oenophile. Wine is important to me. It’s not just a beverage. It’s culture.« After working on LOISIUM in Langenlois, South Styria and in Champagne, Schaer does not seem to be finished with wine. »One day I would love to work on a LOISIUM in Italy or in Georgia, the cradle of 8000 years of wine culture and history.« Now, who wouldn’t drink to that? artevasia.com