Dessau Workshop

The Extended Bauhaus

Bauhaus Dessau International Summer School 2009 muf architecture/art

The Extended Bauhaus

The Extended Bauhaus – International Summer School 2009­

The Bauhaus teacher Ludwig Hilberseimer in his book GroĂ&#x;stadtarchitektur (1927) demanded that a child should be able to walk to school safely. We went one step further in proposing that the city of Dessau should become a school.

In our workshop we overlayed the historic Bauhaus on contemporary Dessau, in 4 simple steps: 1. Each student chose a space of the Bauhaus building, and found out more about it.

2. We then explored Dessau in search of a corresponding space in the city.

3. The city spaces were located on a map and linked by a pedestrian route.

4. We walked the route and each student chose a location along it as a site for an intervention, which was then realised. The pedestrian route is understood to be the corridor of the extended Bauhaus, its functionality expanded by the interventions along it.

The interventions articulate the relationship between the spaces of the historic Bauhaus building and their twinned spaces in contemporary Dessau. They make use of the formal language and spirit of the Bauhaus, from the literal recreation of historic events to a more general sense of exploration and experiment, whilst performing specific functions within the contemporary city: Some draw distant rooms closer, extending accessibility of existing amenities. A domestic object – the doormat – brings the river to your doorstep.

Suspended bicycle handlebars suggest a way of getting muf architecture/art

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into and out of the water. A clock tower is unlocked to grant a view on a street crossing below, which had its markings redrawn as a Bauhaus weaving workshop pattern.

Some bring the hidden from behind closed doors, identifying specific marginalised groups and making spaces for them. A shelf in front of an old people’s home makes gardening comfortable for them and visible and enjoyable for passers-by. Teenagers gathering under a bridge are invited onto the steps of the Anhaltisches Theater. A path and child’s hiding place are mown into a wild meadow on an undeveloped site.

Some transform and revitalise existing infrastructure: Industrial Dessau was scoured to find a component manufactured locally from which to make street furniture, in the same way that Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chair was inspired by his bicycle’s handlebar and local manufacturing. A photo studio was swayed to bring their props and cameras into an alleyway to convert it into an outdoor studio, to retake an iconic Bauhaus photograph. A picnic was held with food cooked from locally grown vegetables.

By looking at the city as an interior, participants engaged with the public realm as inhabitable space, and developed projects that demonstrate the transformative power small-scale interventions can have for city inhabitants.

The Extended Bauhaus is an approach to urban design that operates at the scale of the user and extends the functionality of the public realm. One where detail informs strategy and strategy informs detail.

It is a proposal for a future role for the Bauhaus as an educational resource within the city of Dessau.

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1 The Bauhaus Building足足 Every participant chose a space of the Bauhaus building, and found out more about the space

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second floor Renata: Mural Studio

Lucie: Classrooms

first floor Shaun: Library

Olgica: Textile Workshop

ground floor Sandra: Mensa

Dejan: Theatre

Michal: Playground

Misko: Furniture Workshop

Irene: Vestibule

basement Suzanna: Printing Workshop

Ana: Sculpture Studio

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Sandra: Mensa > Barbecue in a Garden

Irene: Vestibule > Train Station

Shaun: Library > Elderly Housing Dejan: Theatre > Theatre

Misko: Furniture Workshop > Small scale manufacturers

2 The City­­ We went into Dessau to find a space in the city that corresponds to the anlaysed Bauhaus space.

Suzanna: Printing Workshop > Pedestrian Crossing

Ana: Sculpture Studio > Photographer’s Studio

Olgica: Textile Workshop > Women’s Hairdresser

Renata: Mural Studio > Painted Building

Lucie: Classrooms > Town Square with Beach Volleyball court

Michal: Playground > Riverbank

Sandra: Mensa > Barbecue in a Garden > Marianne Brandt’s feast

Irene: Vestibule > Train Station > Activating signs

Shaun: Library > Elderly Housing > A shelf between the trees allowing the elderly to garden

Misko: Furniture Workshop > Small scale manufacturers > Adapting manufactured components (a window) to make furniture

3 The Interventions We walked this route and each participant chose a site along the route to propose an intervention.

This pedestrian route is understood to be the corridor of the Bauhaus in the city.

Dejan: Theatre > Theatre > Taking youths from under the bridge at night to the steps of the theatre by day.

Suzanna: Printing Workshop > Pedestrian Crossing > ‘Retouching’ the colours of the pedestrian crossing

Lucie: Classrooms > Town Square with Beach Volleyball court > Transforming laundry stands into 16 swings

Michal: Playground > Riverbank > Creating the possibility to get into and out of the water

Ana: Sculpture Studio > Photographer’s Studio > Bauhaus style group photo in outdoor studio Renata: Mural Studio > Painted Building > Cutting grass to make a path off a kindergarden to an island in the long grass.

Olgica: Textile Workshop > Women’s Hairdresser > Domestic object in an urban setting

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The Students

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—Suzanna­­— Bauhaus Space: Printing Workshop Location: Basement Interest: The use of colour

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Transferred space: Pedestrian Crossing Interest: The use of colour

Intervention: ‘Retouching’ the colours of the pedestrian crossing and unlocking the door to the bell tower in order to see the ‘print’ from above.

Interest: Creating the possibility to look down on the patterns of the city.

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—Ana— Bauhaus Space: Sculpture Studio Location: Basement Interest: The manipulation of light and dark and preoccupation with composition.

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Transferred space: Photographer’s Studio Interest: The manipulation of light and dark and preoccupation with composition.

Intervention: Bauhaus style group photo in outdoor studio Interest: Converting an intimidating alleyway into a photography studio by screening off its end and borrowing lights and props from a professional photography studio located opposite.

Subjects pose for a photo commissioned from the studio.

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—Michal— Bauhaus Space: Playground Location: Groundfloor Interest: It was a blank canvas for the activities of the building, the most open and open ended space

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Transferred space: Riverbank Interest: That the river is an expansive space that can hold many activities and vistas.

Intervention: Bicycle handlebars suspended over the water from the low bow of a tree.

Interest: Creating the possibility to get into and out of the water.

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—Misko— Bauhaus Space: Furniture Workshop Location: Groundfloor Interest: It brings together different materials and disciplines and that the complex process of furniture making is reflected in the plan and vertical arrangement of the building

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Transferred space: Small scale manufacturers Interest: That they manufacture.

Intervention: Adapting manufactured components (a window) found in the industrial area of Dessau to make furniture.

Interest: Marcel Breuer got the idea to use tubular steel when riding his bicycle. The influence of Junkers on the design of the Bauhaus building.

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—Irene— Bauhaus Space: Vestibule Location: Groundfloor Interest: It collects, holds and distributes.

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Transferred space: Train station Interest: That it collects, holds and distributes.

Intervention: Activating signs Interest: Frames – physical relation to massive picture window in vestibule.

A sign is like a guide – collecting, holding, distributing an idea, wider potential that these could be used for Bauhaus dissemination / education purposes.

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—Dejan— Bauhaus Space: Theatre Location: Groundfloor Interest: The formal amphitheatre arrangement opened up onto the mensa to create an informal performance space

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Transferred space: Theatre Interest: That it is a theatre.

Intervention: Taking youths from under the bridge at night to the steps of the theatre by day.

Interest: Bringing subculture to the steps of high culture.

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—Sandra— Bauhaus Space: Mensa Location: Groundfloor Interest: It opens up to connect with the theatre to create a “festive” space where dining becomes performance and that it allowed the community into the building.

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Transferred space: a barbecue in the garden Interest: That people come together to eat and socialise.

Intervention: The recreation of Marianne Brandt’s feast Interest: Collecting ingredients grown in Dessau. The view from the window relates to a series of photographs taken by Marianne Brandt from the window of her parents’ house.

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—Olgica— Bauhaus Space: Textile Workshop Location: First floor Interest: It was a space for women concerned with decoration and products for the interior.

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Transferred space: Women‘s hairdresser Interest: That it is a space for women.

Intervention: A doormat allows people to clean their feet as they move between the riverbank and the asphalt pavement.

Interest: Placing a domestic object in an urban setting.

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—Shaun— Bauhaus Space: Library Location: First floor Interest: Its shifting signiďŹ cance within the Bauhaus; originally it was located in a backroom as the school was more hands on but that now it has moved to a prominant position at the front of the building as academic research is becoming more important to the Bauhaus.

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Transferred space: Elderly housing Interest: The increasing presence of the elderly in Dessau.

Intervention: A shelf between the trees in front of their residence allows the elderly to garden without having to bend over.

Interest: Making activities visible and comfortable.

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—Renata— Bauhaus Space: Mural Studio Location: Second floor Interest: It did not produce figurative images but was concerned with accentuating the properties of space.

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Transferred space: Painted Building Interest: That it is an example of wall painting.

Intervention: Cutting grass to make a path off a kindergarden to an island in the long grass.

Interest: Modifying surfaces to create new spaces. The shift from the enclosed cemetery opposite to the open tall grass with an island for children creates contrasting spatial experiences.

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—Lucie— Bauhaus Space: Classrooms Location: Second floor Interest: The classrooms were part of the technical school and not the Bauhaus and were a requirement of the city. Gropius choose to make an integrated building, bringing together informal and formal teaching.

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Transferred space: Town square with beach volleyball court Interest: That the formal and informal meet.

Intervention: Outdoor classroom in front of an abandoned school Interest: 16 swings for students and one for the teacher.

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a project by: muf architecture/art Alison Crawshaw Mark Lemanski August 2009 for: Bauhaus Dessau Bauhaus City – Get on Site!

International Summer School 2009 graphic design: objectif Axel Feldmann

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