Legendary American artist Laurie Anderson delivers a State of the Republic speech to open the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna. In times of the rise of the radical right, war and climate change, Anderson encourages us to recall the soft, revolutionary power of love in State of Love.

‘We've made the flood. But can we build an ark?’ – Laurie Anderson, ARK

The Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna has a flag, an anthem, its own band, a council, an academy, a house, a club, a tribunal and a constitution. In the year 2025 it also has an inaugural speech: State of Love. The speech by the musician, artist, performer and writer Laurie Anderson, honorary member of the Academy Second Modernism, is performed live at ORF RadioKulturhaus. Anderson, who is currently working on the ARK project, draws inspiration from a quote by Rebecca Solnit in times of the rise of the radical right, war and climate change: ‘The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving. Remember what you love. Remember what loves you. Remember in this tide of hate what love is.’