For months now, students in Budapest have been protesting undue political influence. Their demand: greater autonomy for their university. Just what is academic autonomy, and what can endanger it?

Excerpt from the public lecture “Does every crisis justify a crisis of human rights? Crisis-related considerations” by Ruth Wodak at the mdw on the occasion of the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10/12/2020).

It was even before the Ibiza Affair—that is, under a different Austrian government and political situation—that we first formed the idea for a series of events on populist politics and their critique by scholars and artists.

How does the mdw’s new Future Art Lab sound? By what metaphors were Pichler & Traupmann guided during the design process? And how does one create the perfect symbiosis between visual and acoustic sensory qualities in such a building? A conversation with architects Christoph Pichler and Johannes Traupmann.

Rector Ulrike Sych and Vice Rector Johannes Meissl provide insights into the future of this new building from the Rectorate’s perspective, outlining the overall backstory, expectations, and possibilities.

The Future Art Lab on the University Campus offers a myriad of technical possibilities. Department heads tell us what they think of this new building—and how they’re doing with the big move that’s still underway.

Pauline Heister is the first woman to hold a professorship in Audio Engineering/Production at the mdw. She brings with her a rich body of professional experience in orchestral recording and opera broadcasting, and she now looks forward to cultivating intensified exchange between Tonmeisters and instrumentalists at the FAL.

Part of the FAL’s basement level is designed as a recording area where student Tonmeisters can practice on their instrument: the recording studio.