Lebt und arbeitet in Wien Talks (DE)
The Heated City

The Lebt und arbeitet in Wien Talks are intended as a polyphonic portrait of the city of Vienna. Starting from open, socially relevant questions, the series of talks approaches the city not through a uniform narrative, but through contradictions, ruptures and parallel perspectives. Vienna appears as a space for reflection – a place where social, political, cultural and historical dynamics overlap.

The talks form a discursive extension of the exhibition Lebt und arbeitet in Wien: Contemporary Art from Vienna. While the exhibition brings together artistic positions, the series of talks opens up a public space for thought and discussion in which the city is not described but negotiated. The talk series does not explain Vienna, but rather makes it tangible – as a complex, contradictory and vibrant city that can only be described through many voices.

Entitled The Heated City, the first event is dedicated to the climatic and urban planning challenges of a growing metropolis. How can a city be reimagined in the face of rising temperatures? What effects do climate change and heat waves have on urban planning and the social fabric of urban spaces? With these questions, the talk series opens up a public space for reflection and discussion in which the challenges, lines of conflict and future plans of a city that is repositioning itself in the tension between quality of life, growth and climate adaptation are negotiated.

The talk is part of Klima Biennale Wien 2026.