TAGADA by Florian Rainer
Description of the project by the WestLicht Museum;
Tagada is not just one of the most iconic rides at Vienna’s Prater amusement park – for teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, it’s a rite of passage and a place of retreat. It’s where they meet up, smoke, flirt, make out, perform, test their limits, and measure themselves against others. On the spinning disc, they experience fleeting moments of weightlessness – both literally and figuratively.
In the summer of 2020, during the COVID pandemic, Florian Rainer spent time with these teenagers, capturing their world in a photographic coming-of-age story.
From the author’s perspective, there are two stages – the disc above and the plaza below. The book architecture reflects this: instead of left and right pages, it reads as ‘Top’ and ‘Bottom.’
The title uses a modified FF DIN Round, inspired by the neon lettering on TAGADA’s ticket booth. Body and ancillary text are set in AC Youth from AllCaps, whose late-’80s energy we felt was ideal for the project’s funpark vibe.
