With the invention of the magical Rubik’s Cube, Hungarian-born Ernö Rubik achieved global success in the early 1980s. Around one in eight people worldwide have already held the 3D puzzle game in their hands, but only a few know the inventor behind the cult object. In 2024, the Rubik’s Cube will celebrate its 50th birthday and Ernö Rubik will be 80 years old. On the occasion of this double anniversary, the Collegium Hungaricum Vienna, in cooperation with the MAK, invites you to the event on October 22, 2024 50 YEARS OF TWISTS AND TURNS. Ernö Rubik and the Rubik’s Cube Anniversary in the MAK column hall.
A talk moderated by Márton Méhes, director of the Collegium Hungaricum Vienna, at 7 p.m. will provide one of the rare opportunities to experience Ernö Rubik in person. The pop-up exhibition curated by Rita Mária Halasi Rubik’s Curiosity Cabinets gives insight into his personal archive, a design workshop invites young people to create a joint mosaic of Rubik’s Cubes and at Rubik’s Playground The littlest puzzlers can playfully immerse themselves in the world of the Rubik’s Cube. The colonnaded hall will also become a meeting point for speedcubers.
The current world record for solving a classic 3×3×3 Rubik’s cube is an incredible 3.13 seconds. Since the first official world championship in Hungary in 1982, dice enthusiasts have been competing in competitions around the world. Speedcubing professionals will compete against each other live in the MAK Column Hall, and visitors are warmly invited to try their hand at the cube.
Starting in the 1980s, the magic Rubik’s cube developed by Ernö Rubik was marketed internationally and has sold more than 500 million units to date. The Hungarian-born designer, sculptor and architect developed other brain games and holds more than a dozen patents: In addition to the Rubik’s Cube, Rubik’s Snake and Twist as well as Rubik’s Magic have been produced and sold worldwide for decades.
The Rubik’s Cube has become an icon of pop culture, it is part of the collection of the MoMA in New York and can be found as a cultural meme in many areas of art and life. Thousands of books and articles deal with the design object.
The joint event by the Collegium Hungaricum Vienna and the MAK is part of global celebrations. Among other things, the American Mathematical Society organized a series of events in February 2024 with scientists and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University. The Hungarian National Bank has launched official commemorative medals to mark the anniversary of the Rubik’s Cube. YouTube honored the Rubik’s Cube anniversary with a special animated logo, and more than 15 billion Rubik’s Cube-themed videos were viewed on YouTube last year.
After the event 50 YEARS OF TWISTS AND TURNS. Ernö Rubik and the Rubik’s Cube Anniversary The pop-up exhibition is on October 22, 2024 Rubik’s Curiosity Cabinets can be seen for a week in the MAK column hall. The Rubik’s Playground remains open for two weeks.
PROGRAM IN DETAIL:
By, 22.10.2024
Entry from 4 p.m. only Ꞓ 8
Talk
50 YEARS OF TWISTS AND TURNS. Ernö Rubik and the Rubik’s Cube Anniversary
7-8 p.m
MAK column hall
Welcome: Marlies Wirth, Curator of Digital Culture, Curator MAK Collection Design
Keynote Speech: Rita Mária Halasi, Curator
Talk: Márton Méhes, director of the Collegium Hungaricum Vienna, in conversation with the inventor and designer Ernö Rubik
The keynote speech and the subsequent talk explore the secret of the Rubik’s Cube: How could an object created in the analog world also conquer digital, increasingly virtualized culture? How has this small object left its mark – far beyond the world of puzzles – in various areas of culture?
No registration required
First come, first served
Talk in English!
Rubik’s Cube Design-Workshop
2-4 p.m
MAK colonnaded hall
In this workshop, young people learn about the Rubik’s Cube as a design icon and source of inspiration. You will discover how artists work with the cube as a medium and get to know the fascinating world of Rubikcubism by the French artist Invader. The participants create a joint mosaic of Rubik’s Cubes!
Registration on www.MAK.at necessary
Speedcubing
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m
MAK column hall
The current speedcubing world record for solving a classic 3×3×3 Rubik’s cube is an incredible 3.13 seconds! Speedcubing professionals will demonstrate their speed in solving the famous Rubik’s Cube live in the MAK Column Hall and compete against each other in different categories. Visitors are warmly invited to take the dice into their own hands and measure their skills.
Pop-up exhibition
Rubik’s Curiosity Cabinets
Tue, October 22nd – Sun, October 27th, 2024
MAK colonnaded hall
The week-long pop-up exhibition presents around 90 objects and documents from Ernő Rubik’s personal archive, most of which have not yet been seen: from the sketchbook to Rubik’s Cube through the prototype phases to the first production models and archive photos. It gives an insight into the birth and triumph of the cube in the 1980s and also into Ernö Rubik’s other 3D puzzles: Rubik’s Snake and Twist as well as Rubik’s Magic. Also on display are prototypes of games that were sold in small numbers or were never produced.
Curator: Rita Mária Halasi
Rubik’s Playground
Tue, October 22nd – Sun, November 3rd, 2024
A Rubik’s Playground in the education room in the MAK Column Hall (1st floor) offers visitors the opportunity to playfully immerse themselves in the world of the Rubik’s Cube for two weeks. A variety of exciting games – provided by Spin Master – invite you to test different variants and puzzle together!
A cooperation between the Collegium Hungaricum Vienna and the MAK
With kind support from
VIG – Vienna Insurance Group
Alfa Vienna Insurance Group Insurance
UNION Vienna Insurance Group Insurer
Spin Master
Embassy of Hungary Vienna
MAK opening times
Tue 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wed to Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m
MAK entry
Ꞓ 16.50/15.50*; reduced Ꞓ 13.50/12.50*; every Tuesday 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.: entry Ꞓ 8/7.50*
Free entry for children and young people under 19
* Ticket price in online presale
The press release and images are available for download at MAK.at/presse.