Research, create, design: the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is celebrating 100th anniversary of Bauhaus

One hundred years ago, Walter Gropius paved the way for the Staatliches Bauhaus Weimar, which was subsequently opened in Weimar in April 1919. The birthplace of this influential school of art and design in Weimar still plays host to design, teaching, research and study – at what is now the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is celebrating Bauhaus’ hundredth anniversary with an ambitious and varied programme, which is currently being prepared in detail with involvement from all four of the University’s faculties and many of its members. The core of the activities is the first ever Bauhaus.Semester, which is to begin in October 2018.

»For the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, 100 years of Bauhaus represents an opportunity to foster shared learning and work as well as an invitation to seek and provide answers to contemporary questions via research, art, teaching and studies. However, it also provides momentum for constant new beginnings, and stepping out into the unknown – just like at Bauhaus in 1919«, says Prof. Dr. Winfried Speitkamp, President of Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. »Our anniversary will, therefore, highlight all that sets us apart: curiosity, creativity and experimentation, research, creation and design.«

» The Bauhaus.Semester
» The Bauhaus visiting professorship
» The 2019 anniversary programme
» Information projects
» The Weimar Universities Bauhaus Festival
» The Bauhaus colloquium
» The anniversary publication
» The Bauhaus100 website

The Bauhaus.Semester
On 1 October 2018, the University is declaring its first Bauhaus.Semester to provide vital freedom for experimentation and creativity. Transdisciplinary and inter-faculty studies will form the heart of the semester. Both teachers and students are currently preparing courses and lecture series bringing multiple disciplines together through projects and enabling content, methods and working methods to be intertwined. Just as the historic Bauhaus pushed boundaries in unconventional form, the Bauhaus.Semester will open up new perspectives for future studies. The semester begins on 17 October 2018 with a celebration, and the first results will be presented in February 2019. Presentations, lecture series, workshops and projects are all in the pipeline.

The Bauhaus visiting professorship
To mark the Bauhaus.Semester, the University is establishing a Bauhaus visiting professorship expected to attract some outstanding individuals. In the future, it will be offered once a year for a semester, and it should help to further reflect upon and critically renew Bauhaus thought. It will reflect the Staatliches Bauhaus of 1919 in that it seizes upon the pressing social issues of the time and provides new, creative, and even unexpected answers. Last but not least, it aims to combine science, technology, art, and design. The Bauhaus visiting professors will give public lectures, workshops, and other classes for university members.

The 2019 anniversary programme
The University’s Bauhaus anniversary programme is also interdisciplinary and will be substantially supported and shaped by the University’s members alongside many partner universities and institutions. Two years ago, the University initiated a fund for projects tackling the idea, history, and development of Bauhaus. The projects submitted have shaped the anniversary programme in many ways, and some have already begun. International exhibitions, workshop results, concerts, and performances will be available to see and experience, scientific conferences will be organised and publications produced. An overview can be found at bauhaus100.uni-weimar.de/en/projects/.

Information projects
Teaching itself has also long been giving rise to various forms of media that offer a contemporary picture of Bauhaus in Weimar. In 2019, visitors will be able to explore unusual parts of Bauhaus with an audio tour in Weimar, or relax in Bauhaus oases in urban areas. A series of artistic audio pieces will accompany the Bauhaus.Semester activities and the 2019 anniversary year, and will be issued as a podcast. They can be found on the website and will also be regularly played on the Bauhaus.fm radio station.

The Weimar Universities Bauhaus Festival
Bauhaus’ actual founding date of 12 April is being celebrated with a major event organised by Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar. This themed festival will show how Bauhaus’ former programme was organised and what the experience was like for masters and students. On the evening of 12 April 2019, the multimedia spectacle entitled »Republic of Spirits – Republik der Geister« will combine architecture with music, sound, art, stages and performances. Students from both institutions will make up interdisciplinary teams to orchestrate twenty spaces in their main buildings. In addition to the Fürstenhaus and Henry de Veldes buildings, the Tempelherrenhaus and Weimar’s Park an der Ilm will also feature light and sound installations.

The Bauhaus colloquium
From 10 April to 12 April 2019, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will host one of the oldest and most renowned theory of architecture conferences – the International Bauhaus Colloquium. Conference participants will tackle questions on the theory and history of architecture and will take an in-depth look at the history of Bauhaus in its homes of Weimar, Dessau and Berlin as well as its international reception and migration: www.bauhaus-kolloquium.de

The anniversary publication
A scientific anniversary publication will be produced in 2019. In this volume, professors, students, and alumni will offer up their thoughts on current research topics at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and their discernible Bauhaus links in around 40 essays. The focus will be on the question of how the relationship between humans, environment, nature, and technology can be shaped today so as to enable a liveable environment and a dignified life and to ensure social cohesion. The wide range of research approaches, essays, and visual contributions reflects the University and its diversity as a whole.

The Bauhaus100 website
The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar will present the entire anniversary programme and all the associated activities to the public at the beginning of the Bauhaus.Semester. Other information, background and services for visitors can already be found on the anniversary website at bauhaus100.uni-weimar.de/en/, which offers details on all of the University’s activities and events. Visitors will receive useful information for their Weimar visit and on the history of Bauhaus and the Weimar University. The visual design for the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s anniversary year and the website was created by the Happy Little Accidents agency.

Related links
bauhaus100.uni-weimar.de/en/
bauhaus100.uni-weimar.de/en/projects/