Ceremonial handover of the Bruno sculpture to the CSH – with contributions from science, politics and art.
On Monday evening, the Complexity Science Hub not only heralded the start of summer, but also sent out a clear signal for the freedom of science. “Research only makes sense if it is free. Without freedom, true insight is impossible,” emphasized Stefan Thurner, President of the CSH, in his welcome remarks – also referencing the precarious state of science in some parts of the world today.
The occasion was the ceremonial unveiling of the Giordano Bruno sculpture by Berlin-based artist Alexander Polzin, now installed in the garden of the CSH – accompanied by a top-class panel discussion that combined the spirit of the 16th century with the challenges of the 21st century.
GIORDANO-BRUNO-SCULPTURE
Carved from a single spruce trunk and later cast in bronze, the Giordano Bruno sculpture honors the Renaissance philosopher who paid with his life in 1600 for his religious rebelliousness and his unconventional ideas about infinity and diversity in the cosmos. Towering six meters high and weighing 600 kilograms, the sculpture does not portray Bruno as a heroic figure, but as a tormented, unbound form: a human figure with outstretched limbs, six fingers on one hand, and a head driven into the ground—placed right in the middle of the CSH’s driveway. It stands in the way—both literally and symbolically.
For more than twenty years, the sculpture stood at the campus of Central European University (CEU) in Budapest. When the university relocated its headquarters to Vienna in 2019, the sculpture remained behind—until now. It has found a new home in Vienna and was officially handed over by CEU Rector Shalini Randeria to CSH President Stefan Thurner. “The sculpture represents a place of intellectual freedom, where science is not just possible but essential—especially in times when facts and freedom are increasingly under pressure,” said Thurner and Randeria. Thurner continues: “CSH brings together researchers from around the world—and will continue to be a place where independent thinkers find an open and autonomous scientific home.”
“We should resist the temptation to appropriate Giordano Bruno in order to strengthen our self-confidence in the fight for the freedom of science,” warns Helga Nowotny, chair of the CSH Science Advisory Board. “Instead, we must ask ourselves how we can best promote critical thinking within institutions and within ourselves.”
In their opening remarks, Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Federal Minister for Women, Science, and Research, and Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Vienna’s City Councilor for Culture and Science, also underscored the importance of academic freedom.
“The Complexity Science Hub plays a key role in a wide range of research areas that are of immense importance to our society. Whether it’s modeling the spread of diseases, analyzing financial markets, understanding urban development, or studying social networks – the insights gained here help us better understand our world and make it more resilient, fair, and sustainable,” says Holzleitner.
“At the new home of the Complexity Science Hub, we’re creating spaces where brilliant minds from across disciplines work together on the big questions of our time,” said Kaup-Hasler. “Basic and applied research form the foundation of innovation—and they need spaces for exchange, reflection, and inspiration. That’s precisely what’s possible here at the new site: a vibrant, open space at the intersection of tradition and the future.”
HIGH-LEVEL PANEL DISCUSSION
In the subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Helga Nowotny, astrophysicist and Nobel Laureate Didier Queloz, the President of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and theologian Christoph Markschies, and artist Alexander Polzin reflected on Bruno’s legacy—its relevance in authoritarian times, and the connections between science, art, and everyday life. Their insights made one thing clear: 425 years after his execution, Bruno remains a figure of profound contemporary significance.
The evening concluded with music, conversation, and a memorable atmosphere. What remains is more than a sculpture: it now stands permanently in the CSH garden – not as an ornament, but as an impressive symbol of science itself: uncomfortable, visionary, at times defiant—but indispensable.
