Life Ball

Official Tumblr for the Life Ball in Vienna. Fighting AIDS & Celebrating Life since 1993.

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Josephine Baker war berühmt für ihre sensationellen Tanzdarbietungen. Oft trug sie kaum mehr als ein paar Straußenfedern und ihr berühmtes Bananenkostüm verursachte einen öffentlichen Skandal. Sie spielte mit Vorurteilen über "natürliche" afrikanische Sinnlichkeit. Doch während das Publikum den Blick nicht von ihren Drehungen lassen konnte, sahen viele in ihrer Kunst ihre eigenen Erwartungen und Wünsche widergespiegelt.

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Ein Spiel auf Leben und Tod. Oskar Schlemmers mechanische Figuren erscheinen wie Schachfiguren beim Endspiel. Sind sie Menschen? Sind sie Maschinen? Eine dämonische Feme fatale verführt die Massen im Hintergrund. Der nächste Zug muss klug überlegt sein.

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Eine dekadente Gesellschaft lacht über die Eskapaden einer Komikertruppe. Die glamourösen Kleider und Uniformen der Zuschauer lassen sie gleichzeitig kultiviert und gefährlich wirken. Doch wer wird hier wirklich zur Schau gestellt?

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Oskar, der Held in Günter Grass' Roman Die Blechtrommel, ist ein Kind, das beschließt nicht weiter zu wachsen, der unter "Sonderlingen", Zirkusleuten und reisenden Artisten lebt. Seine Trommeln und seine spitzen Schreie scheinen eine Warnung vor dem Vordringen der Nazis und ihrer Grausamkeit zu sein.

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Die sieben Todsünden erinnerten den Maler Otto Dix an die Verdorbenheit und Dekadenz, die für ihn im Berlin der Zwischenkriegszeit allgegenwärtig waren. Doch wer bestimmt, was Sünde und was Tugend ist? Wer hat die Macht, für alle anderen zu entscheiden?

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Was ist männlich Schönheit? Während die neuen Herren idealisierte Körper aus einem imaginären alten Griechenland verehrten, erforschten Kubisten und Expressionisten verschiedene, freiere Interpretationen des männlichen Körpers. Als "entartet" bezeichnet, wurden die Künstler verfolgt und viele ihrer Werke zerstört.

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Eine neue, offen hedonistische Kultur gedeiht in den Ruinen des Ersten Weltkriegs. Bars und Cabarets sind voller individualistischer Paradiesvögel, die im Hier und Jetzt leben. doch ihre Freiheit, sie selbst zu sein, ist bereits in Gefahr.

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Eine Gruppe von schillernden Individuen lebt am Rande der Gesellschaft ihre eigene Vorstellung von Schönheit. Noch sehen sie die Bedrohung nicht. Haben sie die Kraft, für sich selbst und einander einzustehen, oder werden sie von den Militärstiefeln zertrampelt?

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source: sentebale.org

Sentebale is a charity founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. The organization helps the most vulnerable children in Lesotho get the support they need to lead healthy and productive lives.

By handing over the Crystal of Hope donated by Swarovski which is endowed with EUR 100.000 at the Life Ball 2015 we are supporting Sentebale´s “Herd Boys Education programme“ which aims to improve access to basic education, including life-skills training. The boys are not educated about HIV infection, so are at high risk due to their ignorance about transmission of the disease. Sentebale is making a big difference to these children´s lives - please visit sentbale.org to see yourself. On the 26th November 2015, Prince Harry spoke at the opening of the ‘Mamohato Children’s Centre in Thaba Bosiu, Lesotho:

“Eleven years ago I made my first visit to Lesotho, with the help of Prince Seeiso. As we travelled the country I was amazed by its raw beauty; but I was also struck by the many children I met whose lives had been shattered by the loss of a parent and in some cases both. I couldn’t believe that so many children had been robbed of their childhoods by extreme poverty and the ravages of HIV and AIDS. Behind those smiles it was clear they desperately needed care, attention and above all, love. Although our situations couldn’t have been more different, I felt an overwhelming connection to many of the children I met. They were far younger than me, and of course, their situation was a great deal more challenging than my own. Nonetheless, we shared a similar feeling of loss, having a loved one, in my case a parent, snatched away so suddenly. I, like them, knew there would always be a gaping hole that could never be filled. For so many of the children in Lesotho, that situation was compounded by the harsh environment and extreme poverty they faced. At the age of just eight or nine taking on the responsibility of caring for brothers and sisters there was simply no time for being a child any more. Experiencing this first hand in 2004 put all my experiences and worries into perspective. From that moment, it wasn’t a question of when but how quickly could we put something in place which could help these children, robbed of the carefree childhood many across the world enjoy. It was already obvious to me that a great deal of valuable work was being done by local people across these communities. But it was also clear that the volunteers and organisations weren’t able to attract the financial support they needed, as attention was rarely drawn to Lesotho. Prince Seeiso and I felt that we could make a meaningful and long-term difference to these children by starting a charity which could draw attention and funds to these grassroots organisations. From the start, our approach was all about working with partners, after all, they were the ones with knowledge and expertise of working in such a unique and challenging environment. We have learned a great deal over the last ten years; our focus has broadened beyond providing for a child’s basic needs to include specialist care, life skills and vocational training. Research showed us that children living with HIV received little support to help them deal with the social and psychological challenges of their condition. As a result they felt isolated and afraid to face up to their illness. The theory of our Mamohato camp is simple – if children have the chance to share with each other how HIV affects them and how they cope with it in a safe and accepting environment, they will lead healthier, more well-adjusted lives. Through these camps, children learn about their condition and can then share this knowledge with their peers once they return home. In addition, sessions in hygiene, nutrition and anti-retroviral therapy, as well as HIV-focused games, sports, arts, crafts and drama all help to inform while boosting self-confidence. These activities improve the physical and emotional well being of the children and young people, helping to breakdown stigma, increase self-esteem, self-worth, adherence to anti-retroviral therapy and ultimately, life-expectancy. By giving children the tools to cope, we are empowering the youth of Lesotho to play their part in the future of this beautiful country. This centre is now the heart of Sentebale, situated on the hallowed ground of Thaba Bosiu in the country that is our home, Lesotho; it represents how far we have come as a charity but more importantly how much more we want to achieve. Much has already been accomplished. Sentebale and its partners have provided residential care for 5000 orphans, delivered ¼ million hours of psychosocial support and, this year alone, tested 13,000 adults and children for HIV – 62% of whom were women and girls. But there is no room for complacency; the scale of the challenge remains significant. Lesotho still has the second highest rate of HIV in the world and UNAIDS estimates that only 30% of adolescents believed to be living with HIV in this country are accessing medication. The Mamohato Children’s Centre will enable us to reach many more of these children than has previously been possible. We will increase the number of those attending camps from 400 to 1500 per year – which represents 29% of our target adolescent group. Many countries face the challenge of HIV and AIDS, particularly across Southern Africa. In fact, according to UNAIDS, HIV remains the number 1 cause of death amongst adolescents in Africa. We hope the Mamohato Children’s Centre will become a centre of excellence for the region; allowing us to share this valuable local knowledge and experience with partners in other countries. I would like to end by thanking His Majesty The King for gifting Sentebale the land on which the centre is built and for his and The Queen’s continued support for our work. Thanks to all our donors and supporters for sharing in this vision – your help will transform the level of support and training we can provide across the region.

And finally to our partners and team on the ground, thank you, please keep doing what you do, where ever you are, as your work really does change lives.”

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...let me promise you one thing: in 2017 a Life Ball will take place in the Vienna City Hall, which will again set a benchmark.

Until then, don’t forget that in 2016 it is in your hands to lend an ear to those affected by HIV and AIDS and to keep the topic on the public agenda. After 23 years of Life Ball I am now more than ever convinced that TOGETHER, WE CAN END AIDS.

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‪#‎FlashbackFriday‬: Have you seen the beautiful photos from the Life Ball Style Bible 2015 yet? 

To see the Klimt paintings, take a look at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gustav-klimt-golden-phase-recreations_56265cd4e4b02f6a900de4f6 

(All photos Life Ball /© Inge Prader)

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© Life Ball / Inge Prader | www.stylebible.org

Who has no spring no bloom will see! Who silent keeps, no echo hears! Whose heart sings not, no poet he, Who does not love, no love he shares. - Otto Prechtler

   Ver Sacrum

Under Pallas Athena’s watchful eye, Theseus wrestles with the Minotaur. Man and beast symbolize the struggle between progress and tradition—the same struggle that the Vienna Secession fought around the turn of the nineteenth century. The goddess of the arts seems calm and benign as she observes the unfolding of events. But her wisdom is reserved for those who seek to overcome obsolete conventions and strive for renewal.

LIFE BALL 2015 | GOLD

On May 16th, 2015, the Life Ball will be held for the 23rd time. Celebrated in the spirit of the ancient rite of spring, Ver Sacrum, the event will proclaim a message of new beginnings and breaking with tradition and convention.

The Life Ball 2015 marks the return of the characters and personages created and enacted by the Vienna Secessionists who, united in the struggle for change, renewal, and progress, join in an exuberant celebration of life.

Fighting AIDS and Celebrating Life| May 16th 2015 | Vienna City Hall

www.lifeball.org | www.stylebible.org

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Real-Life Women In Gold Recreate Gustav Klimt’s Most Famous Paintings

For this year’s Viennese Secessionist-themed Life Ball, photographer Inge Prader recreated Gustav Klimt’s most iconic works with real-life models. The annual event, hosted by Style Bible, aims to raise funds for those affected by HIV/AIDS and the taboo attached to the condition.

Free the (shiny) nipple.

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GRAHAM NORTON SPEECH ON BEHALF OF ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION

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I’m a trustee of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and I’ve been watching their work up-close for years now. 

Elton created the Foundation at the height of the AIDS epidemic, because his friends were dying all around him. It looked like an entire generation of gay men were going to be lost. But people rose up, and they demanded action – in the face of so much bile and abuse. And they won. They managed to stop the terrifying and seemingly unstoppable rise of the disease in north America and in much of Europe. 

That’s the gift they gave us. They saved our lives.

Ever since, the Foundation has been chasing AIDS to wherever it is continuing to spread and kill. It goes to the places other funders are afraid to go. Right now, the disease is spreading very fast amongst LGBT in Africa and Eastern Europe, because of horrible anti-gay laws that breed fear and hate. And that’s where we need to reach out. So the money donated to the Foundation by Life Ball tonight will be used to send people to find those who are most at risk, in Malawi and Kenya.  They will be the first people to ever track down gay men in these countries and not to hurt them even more, but love them and, for over 18,000 men, to get them care. 

A generation before us saved our lives, when we were hated, and abandoned. Now it’s our job to pass on that gift.

A moment ago, as King Midas I told you that gold is great. But take it from me - saving the lives of millions of people – by ending AIDS – glistens and shines even brighter.

On behalf of Elton John and everyone at the Elton John AIDS Foundation, thank you for your golden support.

Please visit http://london.ejaf.org/ and support the fight against HIV and AIDS on http://www.lifeball.org/donate/?lang=en

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Watch the Opening Show of Life Ball 2015 live on YouTube

LIFE BALL | “FIGHTING AIDS AND CELEBRATING LIFE SINCE" SINCE 1993 The Livestream in cooperation with ETAS www.etas.at

Donate online here www.lifeball.org/donate

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Heute wird eine echt goldene Lifeballmedaille versteigert und ein Satz Klimt und seine Frauen: http://www.dorotheum.com/blog/life-ball-charity-auktion/

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Jean Paul Gaultier unveiling the Life Ball Audi 2015 which he designed.