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We are giving away 2×2 tickets! See and find out (or guess) which Austrian actress is the granddaughter of the artist who created the wall decoration with the beautiful scientific motifs on the facade of the Stadtkino in the Künstlerhaus, where our ticket office is located this ball season. Send the names of grandfather and granddaughter, and whether paternally or maternally related until Friday, Jan 19, 2018, 12.00 noon to ball@wissenschaftsball.at The 2×2 tickets will be drawn among the entries. All decisions are final.

Good luck!

“Balls are committed to beautiful appearance. But from the very beginning the Science Ball was committed to an idea, namely to bring the openness, diversity and excellence of the Viennese researchers into the spotlight of attention. We owe a great deal to scientific research in the socio-political field. And so it is only logical that for the ball gowns and their wearers at this event that what counts is not the hip measurement, but the attitude: every woman has a right to feel beautiful.”

Nunu Kaller is an environmental strategist, blogger and author of the recently published book “Fuck Beauty!” (Kiepenheuer and Witsch, 2018)

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The photo series with Burgtheater actor and biochemist Markus Meyer was created in the late afternoon of December 22, 2017, in the legendary bar of the Hotel Intercontinental in Vienna. Two days before, Mayer had premiered in Ewald Palmetshofer’s drama “Before Sunrise” (after Gerhart Hauptmann); for photographer Sabine Hauswirth, camera operator Joseph Cyril Stoisits and me it was the last appointment before Christmas. The pictures give away this relaxed mood. On the stage effect of Markus Meyer we quote from the “Burgtheater Magazin” (November issue December 2017, page 35):

Have you ever had indecent thoughts while watching actors play?
“Indecent thoughts? Markus Meyer’s appearance as Ludwig II! Heaven, staying cool next to my husband was a great acting performance by me. ”
Susanna Cantele

We confirm this impression with pleasure.

“According to Hermann F. Mark, ‘all life is chemistry’, but according to Calderón, ‘life is a dream’. So as a consequence one might follow that chemistry is based on the dream, that life is created out of nothing. Chemists do this everyday in the lab, actors on stage every night. The science ball suggests that such relationships between research and the arts are  made and appreciated. That alone is a reason to celebrate. ”

Markus Meyer is an actor at the Burgtheater since 2004, most recently as the leading character in “Ludwig II.” at the Akademietheater. In 2016 he was named “Actor of the Year” by the ORF radio drama jury. Markus is also a trained biochemist (University of Hannover)

Photo: Sabine Hauswirth, location: bar at the Hotel Intercontinental (thanks to Daniela Enzi)

For the first time, the Science Ball Vienna will be “on air”. Thanks to our cooperation with the radio station Superfly, this spot can be heard in the greater Vienna area on radio superfly 98.3 FM in the coming weeks and as a livestream worldwide. At the ball itself there will be much more from our trusted radiostation – at the disco in the “Radio Superfly Ball Room”. 

The spot was made possible and produced by the media class of the JAM Music Lab University, the youngest university in Vienna. Many thanks to Marcus Ratka and Oliver Schmellenkamp!

This is a first. Because of extremly high demand we have to cancel selling student tickets before Christmas as the quota is completely exhausted. Regular tickets at € 90 are meanwhile still available. And as a Christmas present we are offering 200 tickets and 10 tables in the grand hall and the adjacent rooms at a  5% discount! For bookings please proceed to the  webshop.

“It is an extremely charming idea to combine science and society at a ball with the intention to connect those spheres to eachother. This shows that science does not feel at home in the ivory tower, but is in the midst of life and celebrates its joys. This ball is a symbol of an open and open-minded society that exchanges and develops in dialogue. This is what a contemporary concept of science stands for, which we want to celebrate with this ball!”

Stella Rollig is the managing director of the Belvedere Museum Vienna since January 2017. Prior to that, she was Artistic Director of the Lentos Art Museum in Linz for 12 years. She studied German and art history at the University of Vienna.

Photo: Ingo Pertramer

Andreas Mailath-Pokorny, Viennas City Councillor for Arts and Science, has a special gift for Viennese students. He is giving away 2×10 tickets for the science ball!
To take part in the competition, just like our Facebook page and tag your potential ball partner in a comment to the corresponding post. The winners will be informed on Friday, 22nd December via Privat Message on Facebook (Attention: please check other messages)! All decisions are final. Good luck!

“The Vienna Ball of Science – a ball that should be opened with the words ,And every molecule moves!‘ . I’m sure nothing promotes interdisciplinarity more than a little clash on the dance floor. Once you’ve kicked each other, the ice is broken and inspiration for a chat is served on the ball parquet. And since science in Vienna also includes the art universities, there is also a chance that a creative spark may jump over. ”

Cornelia Travnicek is a novelist. Among other honors, she received the Theodor-Körner-Award 2008 and the Audience Prize at the Ingeborg Bachmann Competition 2012. In addition to her literary work, she also works as a researcher at the Vienna Center for Virtual Reality and Visualization. Cornelia studied computer science and sinology.

Photo: Dirk Skiba