Five tips for the Night of Discoveries
Festival
The Night of Discoveries is a voyage of discovery through music, exhibitions, theatre, debates, workshops and inspiring talks on the subject of art and science. There’s so much to do, it's hard to know where to begin? We’ve got five tips.
The Night of Discoveries will take place on 20 September in the area around Hortus botanicus Leiden, the Old Observatory, Pieterkserk, the Academy Building, Old School, the Faculty Club and the PJ Veth Building. For the full programme, see the festival website, where you can also purchase your tickets.
This can’t be a coincidence
How can so many people believe the moon landing was staged? Or that the world is secretly governed by lizard people? In This Can’t Be a Coincidence comedian Lisa Loeb and political scientist/sociologist Daniel Paarlberg take you on a humorous and insightful journey into the world of conspiracy theories.
They explore how these stories arise, why they’re so compelling and how our brains like to see connections, even when none exist. This is an interactive lecture full of insights, quirkiness and plenty of laughs.
Lisa and Daniel are partners not only on stage, but also in real life. Together, they make the successful podcast ‘The Conspiracy Pyramid’. Their first book, Dit kan geen toeval zijn was published in April 2024. Location: Great Auditorium, Academy Building
The Climate Casino
Five participants take their seats at a table with the climate scientist and the climate croupier. Each round, you’ll be presented with a question about climate change or sustainability. You choose your answer and bet on how certain you are. Correct guess? You double your bet. Wrong? You lose. This way, knowledge is directly linked to risk and assessment, just like in the real world of climate decisions.
The game not only stimulates curiosity but also encourages conversation. Among participants and with the climate scientist at the table. Location: Sculpture garden, Academy Building
Democracy is dead, but whodunit?
On a sultry late summer evening in Leiden, concerned citizens gather for a lecture on the state of democracy. But before it even begins, Lady Democracy drops dead – choking on a chocolate. Was it a tragic accident, or is it murder?
Floris Mansvelt Beck, political philosopher at Leiden University and crime writer, was invited to speak about democracy today. But when Lady Democracy succumbs, he changes his lecture and transforms the evening into a philosophical murder mystery. Because: who murdered democracy?
In this interactive lecture – a one-act whodunit – the audience is drawn into a playful, insightful exploration of themes such as disinformation, ideology and polarisation. With humour and seriousness, Mansvelt Beck challenges you to consider what democracy means today and whether it can still be saved. Location: Oort Hall, Old Observatory
Echoes of Nature
How do you give nature a voice, from the deepest depths of the ocean to the season of the ice flower? What does sand say, when every grain carries a story? What lies hidden between the ebb and flow of the tide, between what appears and disappears?
Echoes of Nature is a group exhibition in which five artists explore the complex relationship between humanity and nature. The result: a series of new works that depict current ecological issues through sculptures, installations, videos and sound. Location: Pieterskerk Square, Kas
Horror Paradox
Why are we fascinated by horror films, dystopian books and creepy stories? In this live recording of the popular science podcast Focus (NTR), presenters Sander Nieuwenhuijsen and Syb Faes explore the so-called ‘horror paradox’: the strange fact that people actually enjoy terrifying experiences.
Laura Nawijn, a stress scientist, explains how our bodies and brains cope with tension and why some people find it pleasurable. Evert van Leeuwen, a literary historian and expert on gothic, horror and science fiction, discusses the appeal of the dystopian genre -- especially among young people. Why do we voluntarily want to be scared? What does that say about our brains, our society and our imaginations? Location: Great Auditorium, Academy Building
Exhibition: The eternal student
The anniversary exhibition The eternal student can be visited during the Night of Discoveries in the Hortus botanicus. The exhibition takes you on a journey through four centuries of student life. How did students study in the past? What did they wear, what did they discuss, where did they meet? And what does student life look like today? The exhibition boards will be illuminated especially for this evening.