Analysis and Mapping of Wind Power Controversies in Lower Austria

Out of Frames serves as the analytical and empirical foundation of the InSituEx research agenda. Within the framework of Multispective Experience Design (MiXeD), the project covers the first two methodological steps: controversy mapping and multispecies ethnography.

Using recent debates about wind power in Lower Austria as its case study, the project analyzes how environmental controversies are constituted through relations between diverse human and nonhuman actors. Rather than treating these debates as polarized exchanges of opinions, Out of Frames approaches them as sociotechnical constellations involving residents, policymakers, entrepreneurs, activists, scientists, energy infrastructures, landscapes, and affected species.

Methodologically, the project combines AI‑supported analysis of public debates with qualitative stakeholder interviews and observations. Nonhuman actors—such as birds, forests, wind turbines, or landscapes—are represented through scientifically and practically informed proxies in the spirit of multispecies ethnography. The resulting controversy mappings visualize key actors, positions, and relations, revealing where tensions emerge and how perspectives intersect.

In the InSituEx research agenda, Out of Frames provides the empirical and analytical groundwork for MiXeD. The project findings identify the actors and positions shaping the wind power controversies in Lower Austria and establish the basis for Polyphonic Personas and Dramatic Mediation.