Welcome to the opening of the VISTA Science Experience Center!
We are celebrating the opening of the VISTA Science Experience Center with a grand opening festival at the ISTA campus in Klosterneuburg. You can look forward to three days full of exciting highlights: from keynotes and panels to interactive workshops and concerts.
Be there when the first exhibition “Science in the Making" opens and immerse yourself in ISTA's fascinating research. From neuroscience and climate research to quantum physics and AI – here you can experience the diversity and dynamism of 21st-century science. We look forward to seeing you there!
Program
The entire program is free of charge!
For keynotes and lectures in the Raiffeisen Lecture Hall we recommend booking a free ticket in advance.
Timetable
DJ set with Noushin Redjaian
Noushin Redjaian touches on everything from ambient to dub to reggaeton and new dancehall, mixed with her love of RnB and hip hop.
Location: VISTA Stage
Light show with Klimentina Li & Mehrdad Derafsh
Location: VISTA Stage
Martin Hetzer and Gaia Novarino (ISTA) in conversation with Christian Bertsch
Location: Raiffeisen Lecture Hall
Michael John Gorman is not only director of the MIT Museum, but also professor of science, technology, and society at MIT. As founder of BIOTOPIA and the Science Gallery, he has launched outstanding projects that connect science and art worldwide. His initiative, Science Gallery International, aims to bring science closer to a global audience, with locations around the world from London to Bangalore. Gorman has conducted research at renowned universities such as Harvard and Stanford and has published numerous books and articles. He is also a member of several scientific boards and an advisor to the European Commission. We look forward to his keynote speech, “In defense of wonder—science communication in an age of misinformation.”
This will be followed by a panel discussion on “How to Enhance Public Trust in Science.”
Panel participants:
Michael John Gorman (Director, MIT Museum, Cambridge)
Katharina Brandl-Molterer (Head of Visual Arts, Pro Helvetia Foundation, Basel)
Gaia Novarino (Vice President, ISTA, Klosterneuburg)
Stephanie Kneissl (Curator, ISTA, Klosterneuburg)
Moderator: Christian Bertsch
Location: Raiffeisen Lecture Hall
Sofie Royer is a California-born Austrian-Iranian multi-instrumentalist, producer, and classically trained composer. A graduate of the Vienna Conservatory, she has performed professionally with the Vienna Youth Philharmonic and the Vienna Academic Philharmonic. Her latest album, Young-Girl Forever (Stones Throw Records, 2024), has been highly praised by critics, with The Guardian calling it “an excellent album... making Royer one of Europe's most overlooked pop stars.”
This spring, Sofie completed a 14-day North American tour, including standout performances at the Sled Island Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival. She also recently performed live on KEXP and was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 2024 Libera Awards and for Best Production and Best Pop/Rock Artist at the Austrian Amadeus Music Awards.
Sofie has shared the stage with Lana Del Rey, Air, and LCD Soundsystem, and has collaborated with artists such as Toro Y Moi, Lewis Of Man, and Kavinsky. She continues to bridge the gap between classical music, alternative pop, and art direction, earning herself an international reputation as a unique voice in modern music.
Location: VISTA Stage
DJ set with Noushin Redjaian
Noushin Redjaian touches on everything from ambient to dub to reggaeton and new dancehall, mixed with her love of RnB and hip hop.
Location: VISTA Stage
Light show with Klimentina Li & Mehrdad Derafsh
Location: VISTA Stage
Timetable
Guided tours of the exhibition with scientists and artists from the exhibition “Science in the Making"
12:00 – 12:30 pm: Judith Fegerl is an artist working with phenomena such as electrostatics
12:30 – 1:00 pm: Nicolò Zava is a mathematician conducting research in topological data analysis
1:00 – 1:30 pm: Fiona Connor, as part of her artist residency, exchanged ideas with ISTA researchers on subjectivity and objectivity
1:30 – 2:00 pm: Maria Ibañez researches thermoelectric materials that can convert heat into electrical energy
2:00 – 2:30 pm: Fragmentin is an art collective from Switzerland whose works explore the traces that digital technologies leave in nature
2:30 – 3:00 pm: Caroline Muller studies clouds and aims to better understand their influence on the climate
3:00 – 3:30 pm: Thomas Shaw is a glacier researcher and shares insights from his research expeditions to the Pamir Mountains
Location: Auditorium
Saki the Artist - Upcycling Lab Equipment
Scientific research relies on disposable items such as pipettes. See how artists are finding creative ways to give these plastic products a second life before they become waste. There will be an art exhibition featuring sculptures by artist Saki, as well as a workshop where participants can create their own wearable artworks from upcycled laboratory items. Learn how we can reduce global plastic consumption in the workplace and at home, and be inspired to find your own creative solutions for turning trash into treasure.
No registration required.
Location: Workshop room VISTA Lab
Maximum number of participants: 10 people
Language: German and English
Jeroen Dobbelaere & Isa Klee - Biodiversity Beyond the Microscope: Exploring Life at the ISTA Campus
One of the greatest threats to our planet is the loss of biodiversity. Animals, plants, and entire habitats are under threat. As scientists, we want to raise awareness, observe more closely, and, above all, find new ways to protect nature.
Why not start with ourselves? At the campus of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), we want to create a “living lab”: a living laboratory where we can explore and strengthen nature right on our doorstep. In the ISTA Biodiversity Project, we combine the knowledge and research of our scientists with citizen science tools. This allows the campus community—and the general public—to experience the importance of biodiversity and contribute themselves.
For example, we show how our research on plants, butterflies, and ants converges with observations on campus. Together with our partners at ÖkoCampus Wien, we highlight which measures really help to promote biodiversity on an urban campus.
The challenge is great: conducting cutting-edge research while strengthening nature. But a campus in harmony with nature not only protects plants and animals, it also promotes cooperation and well-being for all—and makes our scientific community vibrant and strong.
Location: Raiffeisen Lecture Hall
Maximum number of participants: 30 people
Language: German
Experience Francesca Pellicciotti in her captivating keynote speech, in which she takes you on a journey of discovery to the glaciers of our planet. She highlights the fascinating “Pamir-Karakoram anomaly” in Asia, where glaciers are surprisingly stable or even growing. Francesca clearly explains the fundamental processes that influence the behavior of glaciers in climate change and shows how they can achieve their own cooling effect.
Understand how this extraordinary ability changes as glaciers shrink and what impact this has on their melting and mass loss. Learn more about the importance of glaciers as water resources and the concept of “peak water”—a point at which, after a period of increasing runoff, a decline threatens.
Francesca also shares new insights into how glaciers can mitigate droughts and the challenges we face as they become more extreme and prolonged. Be inspired by her knowledge and visionary ideas and immerse yourself in the exciting world of glacier research! Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the future of our water resources.
This will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic of “Water, droughts, and glacier research.”
Panel participants:
Francesca Pellicciotti (climate scientist, ISTA, Klosterneuburg)
Sophie Falkeis (designer connecting science and design, Zurich and Vienna)
Katharina Kropshofer (climate science journalist, Vienna)
Moderator: Florian Schlederer
Location: Raiffeisen Lecture Hall
DJ Set: MKCMLLNmakcimillian [he/him] is a DJ from Ukraine who lives in Vienna. Coming from the vibrant nightlife scene in Kiev, he carries the gene of unconditional uniqueness within him. makcimillian is influenced by house, techno, and minimal from the 90s and 00s, psychedelic rock, and shoegaze. He combines vinyl and digital, trying to get the best out of both formats to deliver a captivating sound. makcimillian's sets are sentimental, highly intuitive, and emotionally charged, with a subtle feel for groove.
Location: VISTA Stage
Light show with Klimentina Li & Mehrdad Derafsh
Location: VISTA Stage
Up-and-coming artist FILLY is causing a stir in the music industry with her bold approach to hyperpop. By blending elements of pop, drum and bass, and electronic music, she creates a captivating sound that is both dynamic and irresistible. Known for her powerful performances and charismatic stage presence, FILLY is proving to be a force to be reckoned with.
Her debut single “Motorola” has attracted a lot of attention and quickly established her as one of the most talked-about new artists.
Location: Outdoor Stage
A Science Slam is, just like its model the “Poetry Slam,” a competition in presenting one’s own work. But instead of writers performing their own texts, young scientists take the stage and try to excite the audience about their research topic in just a few minutes. Rather than in a lecture hall or seminar room, they share their research in an entertaining way on the VISTA Outdoor Stage.
Location: Outdoor Stage
Veronika J. König, better known as FARCE, is an innovative musician whose path led her from black metal and punk to the electronic music scene. Discovered by FM4, she gained Europe-wide recognition in 2018 with her album ‘Heavy Listening’ and regularly performs at renowned festivals. With releases such as ‘Trauma Bounce’ and the No. 1 single ‘Déjà Vu’, FARCE has cemented her status as a creative force in the international avant-garde. In addition to her work as a producer for various acts, she is passionately committed to the queer music scene. In May 2022, her album ‘Not To Regress’ will impress even the stone walls of St. Stephen's Cathedral.
Location: Outdoor Stage
DJ Set: MKCMLLNmakcimillian [he/him] is a DJ from Ukraine who lives in Vienna. Coming from the vibrant nightlife scene in Kiev, he carries the gene of unconditional uniqueness within him. makcimillian is influenced by house, techno, and minimal from the 90s and 00s, psychedelic rock, and shoegaze. He combines vinyl and digital, trying to get the best out of both formats to deliver a captivating sound. makcimillian's sets are sentimental, highly intuitive, and emotionally charged, with a subtle feel for groove.
Location: VISTA Stage
Light show with Klimentina Li & Mehrdad Derafsh
Location: VISTA Stage
Timetable
Two voices that have been collaborating across genres for over a decade invite you to a special midday concert: Voodoo Jürgens and Katarina Maria Trenk meet on stage in a free, improvised interplay. Their musical connection goes back a long way. Time and again, Trenk – known for her own projects spanning pop, experimental music, and performance art – has appeared as a guest singer alongside Voodoo Jürgens on stage. Joint pieces such as Alimente or Taunzn – most recently featured prominently in the Sargnagel film – testify to an artistic chemistry that oscillates between Viennese wit and melancholy.
For the VISTA Science Experience Center, they are creating a one-of-a-kind improvised concert: a moment of sonic encounter that unites research, art, and life in unconventional ways.
Location: Outdoor Stage
Guided exhibition tours with scientists and artists from the exhibition “SCIENCE IN THE MAKING – How is the knowledge of tomorrow created?”
12:00 – 12:30 pm: Marlene Mautner, in collaboration with two ISTA researchers, makes mathematics visually tangible
12:30 – 1:00 pm: Ilaria Caiazzo & Santiago Torres take us into the astrophysical world of black holes and white dwarfs
1:00 – 1:30 pm: mischer’traxler, a design studio, balances between technology, science, and craftsmanship
1:30 – 2:00 pm: Nick Barton studies genetic variations in plant populations to decipher evolutionary adaptation mechanisms
2:00 – 2:30 pm: Sara Ghalandari, as part of her artist residency at ISTA, developed an installation to make dynamic spaces tangible
2:30 – 3:00 pm: Samara Ren is a computer scientist developing algorithms that enable complex geometric shapes to be efficiently realized in digital manufacturing
3:00 – 3:30 pm: Luke Evans is a photographer who prints electrostatics onto paper using a Van de Graaff generator and 500,000 volts
Location: VISTA Auditorium
Martin Moder (Molecular Biologist) and Florian Aigner (Physicist) on great truths and even greater nonsense.
After almost 14 billion years, it’s time to take stock: Was the Big Bang worth it? The universe has expanded, produced atoms, stars, and planets, biological evolution, conscious intelligence, and technology. And now we use all of that to claim on the internet that the Earth is flat, created six thousand years ago, and ruled by reptilian aliens?
Location: Raiffeisen Lecture Hall
Leo Mühlfeld & Stefan Schönauer – AI in Science Futures
To help shape our future, we first need to make it tangible. In this workshop, we will collectively explore the positive as well as negative influences AI can have in the context of scientific research.
What is AI when we think beyond the chatbot? How can we use it concretely, and what consequences might that have? Since almost everyone already seems to have a preconceived opinion about AI, in this workshop we will step into new, archetypal roles to set aside our personal reservations and experiment with fresh perspectives in a playful setting. Together, as an “AI Supervisory Board,” we will create an open space for discussion to raise new questions around speculative scenarios and use cases of AI in science.
Through a creative, hands-on approach, we encourage new ways of thinking that go beyond familiar forecasts and open up alternative perspectives.
No registration required.
Location: Workshop Room VISTA Lab
Maximum number of participants: 25 people
Language: German
Building for Quantum: Film Screening and Discussion
In collaboration with the Civa Festival Vienna, VISTA presents an exciting event on the emerging world of quantum computing. After decades of theory and experimentation, this technology is approaching realization and promises applications in fields such as healthcare, electronics, and finance. The panel opens with a screening of Building for Quantum (2025), a film by Marina Otero and Manuel Correa, which documents the construction of Spain’s first quantum computing facility. The documentary explores both the physical and philosophical aspects of quantum architecture and reflects on the visions and challenges of this technology.
Following the screening, a discussion will take place, moderated by curator Ana Prendes, with contributions from Georgios Katsaros, Florian Aigner, Marina Otero, and Manuel Correa. The conversation will address the far-reaching implications of quantum computing, the challenges involved, and the role of artistic as well as critical practices in engaging with this new technological dimension.
Location: Raiffeisen Lecture Hall
Miriam Adefris (she/her) is a harpist, sound artist and composer based in London. She utilises the analogue harp sound and electronic processing, with an interest in textures and the reciprocity of sound and surrounding. Rooted in both improvisation and composed structures, her solo sets aim to immerse and create auditory experiences that offer alternate ways of connection. She amalgamates diverse musical influences which include studies of classical harp in Vienna and her immersion in London’s rich experimental and jazz music scene.
Apart from playing her own music, collaborating with other artists as well as creating sound installations and music for visuals are a main focus of her work. Recently, besides from playing solo Miriam Adefris gained attention beyond UK boarders due to her creative collaborations with electronic musician Floating Points, singer Ganayva, multi-instrumentalist Shabaka Hutchings and others, touring around the world and playing at a wide range of festivals and venues like Sidney Opera House, Knockdown Center New York, Primavera Barcelona, London Jazz Festival, Xjazz! Festival Berlin, Popfest Vienna, Transmissions Ravenna (IT), C2C Festival Torino (IT) and many others.
Miriam’s new project Flur, consisting of her, Isaac Robertson (tenor sax) and Dillon Harrison (drums), will be releasing their debut album on 5th September 2025 on Paris-based label Latency. She is currently working on her first solo harp record.
Location: Outdoor Stage
How to get there
For a relaxed journey to the festival, we offer several options:
Take the public bus: From Vienna, Heiligenstadt (U4) with bus line 400, or from Tulln with bus line 406 to the stop "Maria Gugging IST Austria."
By car, you can reach the ISTA parking garage via Klosterneuburg (expressway B14), where parking spaces are available.
In addition, we have arranged a festival shuttle bus, which runs hourly from the ISTA stop at Boschstraße 10 in Heiligenstadt directly to the campus. Exact departure times will be announced shortly, so you can conveniently plan your festival visit.
Mediapartner
