We proudly present you our ball video 2020!

Take your time to let the evening pass one more time, maybe even spot yourself in the crowd, and take notes for the next Vienna Ball of Sciences on 30 January 2021 of things you haven’t explored yet.

Our thanks go to Spotteron for producing this great video and to you for making this night so special!

The ball night is ending, but we still have one more ace up our sleeve: This year’s ball magazine is 68 pages long and was conceptualised by editor-in-chief Katharina Kropshofer.  You can download it now and find stories about all the highlights of the ball,  bees in the city, biodiversity, network medicine and birthday boy  Ludwig van Beethoven. Enjoy the read!

You can download the magazine here: http://www.wissenschaftsball.at/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SciBall_Mag2020-screen-komprimiert.pdf

Attention: there will be NO box office this evening. At the ball itself, only the few tickets that have already been paid but not yet picked up will be issued at the Lichtenfelsgasse entrance of the town hall starting at 7.45 pm. So it makes no sense to come to the city hall without tickets.

A quick tip: the ticket sale for the 7th Science Ball 2021 will most likely begin on November 11, 2020. Just send an e-mail to ball@wissenschaftsball.at and be reminded by e-mail alert in November 2020. Have fun.

Performing as Kerosin95, Kathrin Kolleritsch will heat up the disco in the Volkshalle at 1 am with political rap. In this interview she speaks about invisible identities and an antithesis to tough gangsta rap.

When Kathrin Kolleritsch, alias Kerosin95, enters the stage, nobody stands still anymore. Energetically she jumps around, yet her voice – which can also be heard in her new collaboration “My Ugly Clementine” together with Mira Lu Kovacs (Schmieds Puls), Sophie Lindinger (Leyya) and Nastasja Ronck (Lucid Kid) – is not suffering from that movement. For Kerosin is “Nicht immer taktvoll, doch stets im Rhythmus des Metronoms” (a German play on words meaning: “not always discreet but in the rhythm of the metronome”), which is how she describes herself in her Single “Außen hart innen flauschig”.

Your texts are playful and funny, at the same time you never leave out a certain sense of social criticism. How does that go together? For me, social criticism goes hand in hand with humour, irony and more serious moments. Playing with it in my lyrics is a lot of fun for me. And this is a way I can be critical – towards myself or the world. I could definitely never do without my “Schmäh”, my wit.

You said in another interview that “anger” is one of the driving forces behind Kerosin95. What makes you angry right now?
Yes, anger is one of the driving forces for art. But not the only one. Many things make me angry: Current power relations, some people who do not question their privileges or simply ignore them, and the patriarchy – always.  I am also angry at my self sometimes, my habits and racisms, which are deeply rooted. But this anger is very constructive for me. It helps me to understand the world and myself and to do something about it. Thereby I am not less angry but I am merging it into texts. Expressing myself through those and being loud gives me the feeling that I can actually change something within myself.

With rappers like Ebow, Keke and EsRap, the Austrian rap scene has also changed in terms of gender. You do not see yourself as female. How visible are queer* identities in the music scene?
Some things are changing in Austria but queer* identities are still very underrepresented in the musical landscape. Festivals, line-ups or nominations for the Amadeus (Austrian music award) are still nominated by white and cis-males. That is a pity and a bit embarassing because there are so many great artists* which are not seen or heard! Making queer* identities visible is very important and essential for everyone. And it shouldn’t just be the task of the people who are affected by it themselves.

Interview: Katharina Kropshofer

Photo: Hannah Fasching

P.S: You can find the complete interview in the ball magazine, which will be handed out at the end of the ballnight to all visitors and will also be available for download the next morning.

Your legs are still tired and not ready for dancing? We recommend a practice run at the ice skating rink “Wiener Eistraum” by our ball partner Vienna Marketing. On 9000 square meters you will find enough space for a waltz on the ice. Let alone 850 squaremeters on a terrace and 550 meters which lead you through the Rathauspark straight – and hopefully on time – to the ball entrance in Lichtenfelsgasse!

For their 65th anniversary, our friends from Johns Hopkins University in Bologna are visiting the Ball of Sciences again. They left us a message:

“Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (JHU SAIS Europe) is pleased once again to participate in the Vienna Ball of Science.  An essential yearly tradition for SAIS, the preparations at the Bologna Center start early in the fall, not only with planning and purchasing airline tickets but also with taking waltzing lessons. This year almost the entire school is coming to Vienna: approximately 200 students, faculty, staff and alumni are travelling from Bologna to the Rathaus, underscoring the importance of this event for the Viennese academic community.

For many JHU students – hailing from more than 40 countries – the Ball will be their first trip to Vienna and their first in-person encounter with this time-honored tradition.  In addition to the Ball, SAIS students will participate in a “Cultural Trek,” touring essential Viennese sites and museums; a “Career Trek” to meet with potential employers; and an alumni event for the Austrian Alumni Chapter, an important group of more than 400 strong.

The Ball is especially significant to SAIS this year, because it is the first event in a year-long celebration of SAIS Europe’s 65th anniversary, with later events in cities throughout Europe and the United States, including Amsterdam, London, Paris, New York, and Washington DC, in addition to Vienna. The spring events will culminate in our Alumni Weekend celebration in May at the SAIS Europe Bologna Center, at which we are expecting 600 former students and guests.

JHU SAIS Europe is an American graduate institution with a strong focus on Europe and European perspectives on global affairs. The school’s mission is to provide an interdisciplinary professional education that prepares a diverse graduate student body for internationally-related positions of responsibility; to foster research, scholarship and cross-cultural exchange; and to contribute knowledge, expertise and leadership to the global community.

Current students study and analyze today’s most pressing international issues, from migration and human rights to renewable energy and cybersecurity. The curriculum is rooted in international economics with a strong focus on regional studies and languages. A unique feature of JHU SAIS Europe is the opportunity it provides its students to study and debate global issues as part of a closely-knit international community with classmates from five continents. The majority of Master of Arts candidates continue their second year of study at the school’s campus in Washington, DC, further broadening their exposure to different ideas and perspectives.

JHU SAIS Europe has always had a special relationship with Austria, the fourth most-represented nationality among the student body, with between four and six Austrian students attending the program each year. Since 2008, JHU SAIS Europe and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna have offered a dual-degree program in which students can spend one year at each institution.

The Ball of Sciences is a natural fit for university and research communities. JHU SAIS Europe is honored to take part in this event and grateful for the special occasion it offers to continue to build friendships with our Austrian alumni, friends and colleagues.”

Photo: (c) JHU SAIS

P.S.: You can find this and many other texts in our ball magazine, which will be distributed to all guests at the end of the ball and can be found as a pdf online the next morning.