For the third time, the University of Graz campus was transformed into an open-air stage for science and street art. Amidst DJ sets, construction site tours, performances and discussions with researchers, visitors were able to experience just how diverse science can be and how essential it is for us to live together successfully.
Click through the photos from Uni Vibes: >> Uni Vibes
Peter Riedler, Rector of the University of Graz: “The past few days have made it abundantly clear to us just how challenging the coming months could be for universities as a whole. I am therefore all the more delighted that, thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and with the help of our researchers and partners, we are able to provide further proof today of the social and cultural significance of universities. A celebration in difficult times is no contradiction to the seriousness of the situation. On the contrary. That is why, with Uni Vibes, we are opening the university to everyone, with a programme combining science and the arts.”
Democracy of the Future
Together with the artist Lucas De Man, researchers from the University of Graz explored the question of how democracy can be lived out in the future and what role science plays in this. During one-hour guided tours, visitors learnt how research shapes our social coexistence within a functioning democracy.
Uni Vibes guests were given a glimpse of the campus of tomorrow during tours of the two major construction sites at the University of Graz. North of the University of Graz’s main building, the House of Educational Sciences, the new academic home for aspiring educators, is being built as part of an extensive renovation. The steel trusses now forming the base of the future Graz Center of Physics also offer an impressive sight. From 2030, the physics institutes of the University of Graz and Graz University of Technology will conduct research side by side here.
Interactive acrobatics
Fans of street art were thoroughly entertained by the performance of the “THERE THERE Company”. Their group choreographies evolve through the direct involvement of the audience in moving experiences. Spectating turned into participation; everyone present became part of the performance themselves.
In the library’s historic reading room, singer-songwriter Fraeulein Astrid enchanted the audience with her songs full of emotion and quiet rebellion. The artist impressed with her polyphonic singing, electronic sounds and honest lyrics. All dance enthusiasts were swept away by the beats of DJs Uschi Ultra and Monique Fessl. Their repertoire ranged from vintage sounds to gabba and techno.
Things finally got loud and lively during the performance by MERAK in the courtyard of the university’s main building. The eleven-piece orchestra from France blends Balkan sounds with hip-hop beats and is accompanied by five dancers. A fitting finale for “Uni Vibes”.