Max Matissek is a leading figurehead of the Austrian freestyle scene and top ranked PWA competitor. The 29-year-old Lake Neusiedl local is fast building a reputation for his creative projects where he combines both of his passions,  windsurfing and art, by shooting unique windsurfing pictures at unusual places. Taking windsurfing on an innovative journey to urban spaces, we learn more about his groundbreaking project – ‘True Wind.’

Words  Natasha Schubert & Max Matissek  //

Photos  Main shots by Ulrich Sperl; behind the Scenes by Vincent Forstenlechner, Rudy Dellinger and Max Matissek.

Originally published within the April ’17 edition

MEANING
The goal of every True Wind project Max says, “Is to play out one of my wildest windsurfing fantasies and turn them into a surrealistic piece of mixed media art.” Powered up by a ramp or a winch, he throws himself over obstacles far away from natural water bodies. “The images showcase the paradox of windsurfing in places where it has never been done, or even possible before,” he adds. But that isn’t all, for True Wind #1 (set in a huge rainwater reservoir under the streets of Vienna), once the black and white image had been transferred onto canvas, the mixed media piece was completed with teasing brushstrokes of colourful acrylic. This way Max says he reframes his passions onto canvas, coming close to freeing himself from the physical borders given by real wind – hence the name – ‘True Wind’.

HIGH GOALS
For True Wind #2 Max had his creative eyes set on a higher prize, windsurfing on the top of a tower block, he tells us how he managed his lofty goal.

MM: “As I entered the sky-scraping building of Alt Erlaa, a flashback put me back on that familiar red Persian carpet spread across the living room floor. Tossing Lego pieces around, that is where, bit by bit, my cousins and I would recreate our fantasy world. My aunt was one of the almost 13,000 people living there. This time however, my fantasy was somewhat more complex… I intended to windsurf on the rooftop of this 30-floor building.  Alt Erlaa, built in the 1970s as a state residential project, is considered to be one of the largest, most innovative apartment buildings in Austria. The building consists of three towers, each of 100 m height and with completely independent infrastructures.
Coming out of the subway station, strolling through the shopping centre, Alt Erlaa’s charm becomes evident. People of all ages with different cultural backgrounds live together in a friendly and peaceful manner. I notice some workers sitting at the bar of the local café, quenching their thirst with a pint of beer and savouring their goulash. I’m looking for two grey-haired men, Mr Hertl and Mr Heiss, who I need permission from to make this crazy idea a reality. It took several phone calls and exhausting explanations before convincing the building management to support my new True Wind project. A firm handshake, an exchange of Alt Erlaa facts and memories and before I knew it, we were walking over to Block C, the tower facing west, discussing the plans of my unconventional idea. Mr Hertl and Mr Heiss nod in understanding. They seem a bit perplexed, but who can blame them?

PARADIGM SHIFT
My True Wind project is about changing the paradigm of windsurfing, embracing the fantasy and making it a reality. Doing freestyle moves at physically impossible places and capturing that moment. Every True Wind picture should make the viewer take at least a second good look to understand the logistics of the scene. It’s all about thinking outside the box… Something I realised throughout my windsurfing career is that the media loves to feature the utopian beaches with silky white sand and the usual palm trees to frame our action. Don’t get me wrong, Cape Town and Maui are meccas of our sport and it just wouldn’t be the same without them. But, year after year, the only things that seem to change are the flashy chromatic range adorning the sails and occasionally the rider. So what I realised when traveling to such epic spots is that, while the action there is irreplaceable, there are still uncountable horizons that remain unexplored.

This is when I started to picture windsurfing in completely different sceneries. How about bringing some “Street style” like we see in snowboarding, wakeboarding or even skateboarding into our windsurf world? Not only could one change the standardised backdrops of virgin beaches and palm trees, but also incorporate a greater variety of lifestyle through new pictorial elements – even by means of applied arts. I would like to see our sport connected to architecture, new colours and forms, people and creative surroundings. True Wind is not only about transcending boundaries within our sport, but also experimental art. I want to put my windsurf action somewhere else other than where it’s expected. I introduce the action to unimaginable places and take it further by altering the caption on canvas. I emphasise the contradicting factors by introducing an unreal colour scheme that blends into the scene to create a surrealistic image.

REACH FOR THE SKY
We finally made it onto the 27th Floor of block C, where the second True Wind picture would be set and captured. Vienna’s Skyline is spread across the horizon. The sight is as breathtaking as I remember. The thought of sailing here is beyond mind blowing. Full of anticipation, we exchange one last reassuring handshake. I can’t wait to get the project up and running. But there is a drawback. The pool is only 25 m long – or short! To gain enough speed for a trick and also land on the water I would need at least 40 m. The pool had to get extended somehow.

Did I go too far telling my sponsors that I had the permission from the building management?
‘If my ambition has brought me here, there is nothing that can hold me back now’, I told myself. I was fixated on finding a solution. I found myself brainstorming during restless nights, asking for advice from friends and family. The craziest of ideas came up: gaining speed on wheels outside the pool, using an extra built-up pool, water soaked mats typically used for summer training in ski-jumping… but where and when would I test it first…? ‘If I can’t make it happen I am doomed’, I thought. But I still had an ace up my sleeve – Flo Schertler, the man who built a windsurf kicker for my first True Wind project set in Vienna’s underground. He is seen as an extreme sport MacGyver, who also happens to own a wood and iron/tin workshop and is also familiar with my crazy ideas. Oh, and he also lives at a pond!

“Dude, 25 m is really, really short. Even with an artificial approach. Even 40-50 knots of nuking wind won’t be enough to gain the speed needed in order to pull a move within that distance… lest have sufficient space to land the move without a crash. Alright – come over to my place – we will find a way to make it happen!”

And we did.
We decided to go for a wooden construction with a rail that guides the board and a slot for the fin. For the top sheet we used thin PU plates that we already knew from my True Wind #1 kicker. Its slippery surface was ideal. The million-dollar question was whether it would slow down the acceleration during the first crucial metres? We wanted to test the runway, imitating the conditions of the rooftop as accurately as possible. Call it a True Wind #2 dress rehearsal. So we used a bulldozer to flatten out a runway into Flo´s pond and we lay out two 12 m metal rails on which we built the start ramp.  But after the first few tries it was time for a reality check. Even with the winch on full throttle it seemed I could not accelerate enough. A 12 m runway added to 12.5 m to the take off in the middle of the pool seemed just too short! We only had a few days left until the planned shooting, so the pressure was daunting. Before we knew it, the day it was all planned to come together had arrived. Would it work?, we were about to find out!

ACTION
06:15 AM – we all put our minds and hands to it. We lift my board, boom, sail and mast up a rusty fire escape ladder and make it to the top.
For the ‘Outro shot’ of the video I have to strike a Batman pose. Oh yes, spread out and batwings included!, all while looking over Vienna’s skyline under the effects of a golden hazy dawn. The ladder is slippery from the morning dew. I look down, around 100 m separating my gaze from the ground. Gentle gusts of wind are coming from all directions. I start rigging up my gear and feel the excitement rising. I aim my stare far beyond the horizon – I take a long look. My mind is focused. A still moment whilst balancing my gear on the narrow railing. Thirty minutes later we are looking at the first good shot.

SAD FACT
A sad truth is that Alt Erlaa rooftops have been used a few times to commit suicide. So it wasn’t long before security guards visited us asking for a reasonable explanation. They seemed puzzled as we tried to make it sound reasonable… By the end of the day we were used to visitors’ startled faces.

GO TIME
07:30 AM – the whole crew teams up on the roof of block C where the main shooting is taking place. The set-up is ready. Winch, pool, runway.  I quickly tag “True Wind“ at the bottom of the pool and place a CHIEMSEE jumper on the jetty. Once again we discuss the picture with the photographers Ulrich Sperl, Rudy Dellinger and Vincent Forstenlechner and coordinate the cameraman Philipp Reiterer from multimedia company “Enjoy the Soup”.

The background actors enter the set. The 70-year-old, red haired lady Sigie acts about 40 years younger – she knows exactly how to hit on the surfers. Bertl, the 60-year-old housekeeper looks like he’s spent his whole life sunbathing but also happens to be the most important man on the block. They are both Alt Erlaa veterans and look and act just like my desired characters. More and more people arrive at the set: cameramen, technicians, helping hands, and also some officials from the building management. Excitement is building.

08:00 AM – I take out my last special ingredient for the perfect True Wind recipe: washing up liquid is key! I squirt it on my board and runway. Hopefully the surface will be slippery enough for me to gain plenty of speed. The winch speeds up to 50 km/h in a matter of seconds. The worst-case scenario flashes before my eyes, what if I get stuck on the runway and crash? Getting my feet stuck in the fin-slot would be a sure bone breaker.

LIFT OFF
Check, check, double check – I’m ready to go. With both feet in the straps I grab my sail with one hand and the handle of the winch with the other. I give the final sign to my winch operator Matthias Erlacher and he kick-starts the engine. The board starts moving. My front arm is building up tension while the other pulls my 4.4 m sail closer to my body to minimise its air resistance. I am still hardly moving but I know that in a split second I will be shot away like a slingshot. A spine-tingling sensation arises as my board slides over the thin water film on the PU. I push my Fanatic Skate TE 93 against the runway rails to keep it under control. All my focus is now on the drop-in ahead of me. Not only does the board have to hit the pool completely flat to keep the speed, but, at the same time, I also have to release the handle exactly 12 metres after dropping into the pool. If I release too late I will probably hit the end of the pool. If, on the contrary, I let go too early, I won’t get enough speed for the kicker.

I let go of the handle. At the same time, I pull the rig even closer and push the sail into the apparent wind. I still feel the lift under my sail before I get catapulted into the rotation. When everything slows down again, it hits me – I pulled the move! I did it. We all gasp in awe. A wave of relief and ecstatic cheering follows the successful event. We are all caught in the moment. There is no reason to stop now. High on adrenaline, we keep going all day long and get about 100 shots from different angles and perspectives. The crew’s support is great all the way, right to the very end.  After a long and exhausting day I got home with an overwhelming sense of joy and gratefulness. It is well into the night. Still stoked about how my abstract ideas have become reality, I feel thankful for having such a great crew that made it all possible. I hit the pillow and I’m gone. I guess my dreams get ahead of me as I start picturing the next True Wind scenario… who knows where it will take me next!”

“ I want to put my windsurf action somewhere else other than where it’s expected. ”

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