In 2017 a new hydro power plant was added to the river mur. The construction, already one of the biggest controversies the city has seen in recent years, had another minor side effect: The riverwave behind the Radetzkybrücke, that came to live on certain water levels, was destroyed because of the decrease in water flow and the backwater of the power plant. While the former city government promised the surfing community of Graz a replacement wave, the government which was newly elected in 2021 was eager to cancel the project – retrospectively an understandable decision: the project was blown out of proportion and economically as well as ecologically ill-considered.

But before we would even get this insight, the surfclub Murbreak had to act fast. We had to show the city council that the public had an interest in a sustainable surfspot in the heart of Graz. Within two weeks we created an identity for a campaign, started a petition and organized little but very media-effective protests in the river (in the middle of january!). The obvious challenges in this project were a short timeframe and the fact that we had to unite an inhomogeneous community of surfers, kayakers, stand-up-paddlers and the like while at the same time showing the public that a standing surfwave would not just benefit the people practicing the sports but the overall atmosphere of a city that is often said to have mediterranean flair. The name and identity of the campaign convey exactly that, with a wink at the at that time newly elected communist mayor.