Reading by Lisa-Viktoria Niederberger
Iin conversation with Julia Grillmayr

20. March 2025, 19:00 - 21:30
Art University Linz
Hauptplatz 6, 5th floor, Glashörsaal C

Book: Dunkelheit. Ein Plädoyer (Haymon, 2025)

We associate darkness with danger, fear and loneliness. The image of a woman* rushing home with pepper spray in her hand. The monsters under the bed that appear as soon as the light goes out. The death we are afraid of. At the same time, we are attracted to the dark and the night, they fascinate us and have always been part of (pop) culture and art. The interplay of shadow and light has always been a part of it. Darkness means horror and beauty.

However, we have gradually pushed darkness out of our lives, out of our cities. Light pollution, environmental degradation, the skyglow that robs us of sleep: too much artificial light has a disastrous effect on entire ecosystems, animals and people. The solution: we need positive approaches and real legislation to protect our natural world.

In her powerful collection of essays, Lisa-Viktoria Niederberger asks herself: what can a life look like in which we allow darkness more space again? She deals with darkness and power relations, hidden class differences, criticism of patriarchy, the sky and stars as a cultural asset, nature conservation, occupational health and safety, feminist and political issues.
 

Lisa-Viktoria Niederberger

is a writer and cultural scientist based in Linz. Her writing often explores contexts, subtle connections and feminist issues and is not afraid to look for beauty even in the darkest of places. her short prose book "Misteln" was published in 2018 by edition mosaik. Her work has been awarded the Theodor-Körner-Förderpreis, the Exil-Literaturpreis and the Kunstförderpreis der Stadt Linz, among others. in 2024, "Helle Sterne, dunkle Nacht", a children's non-fiction book about light pollution, was published by Achse Verlag. This will be followed in March 2025 by "Dunkelheit. Ein Plädoyer" (Haymon), an essay on the same topic, will follow in March 2025. https://lisaviktorianiederberger.at 
 

Julia Grillmayr

is Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Art and Design Linz (deputizing for Karin Harrasser) with a research focus on science fiction studies and environmental humanities. She holds a doctorate in Comparative Literature from the University of Vienna and is currently writing a book with the working title "Science Fiction Futurologies". Together with Christina Gruber and Sophia Rut, she founded the collective "Lobau Listening Comprehensions", which conducts acoustic artistic research on and in wetlands. In this context, she received the Theodor Körner Prize in 2023.

Book table
Bookshop Alex

Free admission!
Registration is requested.

Photo: Zoe Goldstein