Lebt und arbeitet in Wien Talks (DE)
The Working City
Johannes Kopf in conversation with Lena Marie Glaser

The Lebt und arbeitet in Wien Talks are conceived as a polyphonic portrait of the city of Vienna. Starting from socially relevant questions, the series of talks approaches the city not through a uniform narrative, but through contradictions, ruptures and parallel perspectives. Vienna is considered as a space for reflection 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.

Under the title The Working City, Johannes Kopf and Lena Marie Glaser discuss the transitions and challenges facing the growing metropolis and its inhabitants. The conversation bridges the gap between automation through artificial intelligence and pressing societal issues: demographic change, new working time models, burnout prevention and increasing precarisation – especially in the arts and culture sector. Starting from specific locations in Vienna, the panel ventures an outlook that ranges from the macroeconomic reality of the labour market to a literary-philosophical future, mapping out a utopian image of the city of tomorrow.

The talk is free with a valid exhibition ticket.

Lena Marie Glaser

Mag.iur. Lena Marie Glaser, MA, is the founder of the future lab Basically Innovative in Vienna, an author and a sought-after expert on the digital transformation of the working world. In this role, she guides companies and organizations in the human-centric, equitable and future-oriented design of work. With her expertise, she has already supported more than 100 organizations and advises decision-makers in politics and business. Her references include the European Forum Alpbach, the United Nations (UNISERV), the Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin, the Austrian Federal Chancellery, the City of Vienna, the University of Vienna, the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien and the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Prior to this, Lena Marie Glaser worked as a legal advisor at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance from 2009 to 2017, where, among other responsibilities, she contributed to the implementation of gender and impact budgeting at the federal level. The Vienna-raised lawyer holds a degree in Law (Mag.iur.) from the University of Vienna and a Master of Arts in Contemporary European Studies from the University of Sussex, UK. Through regular media appearances and guest commentaries, she shapes the public discourse on creating a fair transformation of the working world, with contributions for outlets such as ORF Report, Zeit im Bild, Ö1, ZDF, spiegel.de, Harvard Business Manager, FAZ, Der Standard, and Die Presse. She is the author of Arbeit auf Augenhöhe (2022) and Künstliche Konkurrenz (2024).

Johannes Kopf

Dr. Johannes Kopf, LL.M., is the Chairman of the Board of the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS). In this role, he helps shape Austrian labour market and employment policy. In July 2023, Johannes Kopf was appointed Chairman of the Board. Prior to this, he had been a member of the Board of the Austrian Public Employment Service since July 2006. As Chair of the European Network of Public Employment Services (PES) from July 2019 to June 2023, Johannes Kopf additionally shaped European labour market strategies. Born and raised in Vienna, the lawyer holds a doctorate in law and an LL.M. in European law. Johannes Kopf developed his labour market expertise working in the cabinet of the former Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Labour, Dr. Martin Bartenstein, and serving as a member of the Administrative Board of the Austrian AMS from 2003 to mid-2006. He gained further valuable professional experience as an advisor for the Federation of Austrian Industries, also focusing on labour market and employment policy. In addition to his ongoing work at the Austrian AMS, Johannes Kopf was awarded the Heinrich Treichl Foundation’s Humanity Prize by the Austrian Red Cross in 2017. He is also an award-winning photographer and a renowned DJ under the moniker LabourMC.