experiment bauhaus

Works by young designers of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

In cooperation with the Bauhaus.TransferzentrumDESIGN, eleven product designers and an architect of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar presented their works in an exhibition titled “My Bauhaus Is Better Than Yours” at the Fuori Salone del Mobile in Milan. The exhibition’s provocative claim refers to the underlying point of view from which the young artists designed their furniture. They are interested in individually developing the Bauhaus idea to meet the demands and aesthetics of the here and now. The exhibition was innovative in that it featured a combination of furniture, fashion and video installations.

One of the exhibits was a porcelain ceiling lamp set titled “14%” by the product designer Laura Straßer. The lamp’s reproduction and the resulting 14% shrinkage reflect the history of its making. The NARC/01, a modern chandelier by Julius Kranefuß is comprised of recycled plastic bottles fitted with LED diodes. Motion sensors inside the display react to the environment and render the information into contemplative light impulses. The unconventional wing chair by Hannes Grebin, on the other hand, strives to “reconcile the opposing positions of neo-pop conservatism with German Gemütlichkeit.” The exhibition also features works by Stephan Bohn, Lisa Dinges, Marie Burkhard, 45 Kilo, Julius Kranefuß, Georg Panther, Jan Rößler, Milia Seyppe and Sebastian Schönheit.

You can download the entire catalogue of Weimar design works at www.btd-weimar.de.

Contact  
Bauhaus.TransferzentrumDESIGN e.V.
Dipl.-Ing. Gregor Sauer
Tel.: +49 (0) 3643-49 30 66 32
E-Mail: info@btd-weimar.de
URL: www.bauhaus-now.com

Cinema in solar clothes

Equipped with the latest solar technology, the “Screenhaus.SOLAR” cinema demonstrates how architects and civil engineers are jointly addressing the issue of renewable energies and offering globally feasible, resource-efficient solutions. A simple, CO2-neutral construction, comprised of renewable materials and combined with sophisticated design - the demands were daunting for professors Jürgen Ruth and Rainer Gumpp and their team from the Faculty of Architecture as they began designing the temporary building.

The shell of the 13-m long structure is a flexible, but stable hyperboloid – dual conic structures which merge in the middle. The durable honeycomb lattice was created by carefully arranging and attaching wooden slats at certain points. The most extraordinary feature of the “Screenhaus.SOLAR” is the flexible, photovoltaic modules attached to the outside honeycomb structure. In contrast to conventional, rigid panels, these solar units belong to the newest generation of flexible elements which can be wrapped around convex-shaped buildings like clothing. The “solar shell”, i.e. the entire roof of the cinema, provides the necessary electricity for showing films in the evening. The “Screenhaus.SOLAR” was officially presented at the start of the summaery 2009 exhibition and will remain open as a venue for events until November.

Contact 
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Ruth
Faculty of Architecture  
Chair of Structural Design
E-Mail: juergen.ruth@bauing.uni-weimar.de
Web: www.screenhaus.de

Images at the press of a button

The students in the Visual Communication department hit upon the idea in 2007 while planning the presentation of an illustration project by Jutta Bauer. They asked themselves: How can you get people interested in illustrations beyond simply presenting them with the finished pictures? The answer: sketch the pictures on location and on demand. The campus kiosk was chosen as the ideal venue to test the illustration automat, or “Illumat”, for short. Inside, the artist could go wild with his or her pencil while remaining invisible to the outside world. Passersby would submit their requests and within minutes, the illustrations would come out. The concept was big hit. The Illumat was installed in front of the Lucerne theatre at the International Comix Festival in 2008. Additional presentations were held in Dresden, Weimar and the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs; the response was overwhelmingly positive each time. The Illumat was a partner at the 2nd International Sketch Festival in July, and was presented again at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar summaery exhibition. The members of the core group include Anne Baier, Ina Hattenhauer, Verena Herbst, Rosa Linke, Lydia Kessner, Mike Klar and Alexander von Knorre. The group is making a 2010 tear-off calendar from the countless illustrations produced so far (naturally incognito).

Contact
Faculty of Art and Design
E-Mail: mail@illustrationsautomat.de
www.illustrationsautomat.de

Playing with media

The goal of the project “medien.laden” [media.shop] is to create a public venue in Weimar where people can ‘play’ with media. Under the supervision of junior professor Ben Sassen, 24 students from the Faculty of Media started working on the project in October. As part of a workshop week in January, the students in cooperation with the youth club Waggong took photos, made films, recorded music and designed games.

School groups visited the medien.laden during the mornings, while public events were held in the afternoons. The youngsters produced innovative board games, rap videos and postcards. The ideas were as diverse as the children’s academic and social backgrounds. It was important to the organisers from the very start that the participants could continue experimenting with media following the workshops. That’s why the project relied completely on public domain programming software, such as Linux, Gimp and Inkscape. These programmes can be legally downloaded for free and even altered.

Contact
Faculty of Media
Assistant Professor Experimental Television
Prof. Ben Sassen
E-Mail: Ben.Sassen@uni-weimar.de
http://medien-laden.de/

»Port« – The independent magazine produced by students of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

“It’s a gigantic field for experimentation. Where else could students carry out a comprehensive concept from A to Z?” Richarda Löser asks. The petite woman with light-brown hair is referring to “Port”, a cross-faculty magazine produced by students of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. The format is a cross between a magazine and a book. It contains selected projects, master’s theses and independent works. Students are completely responsible for editing and designing the annual magazine – as well as the difficult task of securing the necessary financing.

An enormous spectrum

Richarda Löser, an artistic staff member of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, is the university liaison for the project. “Most of the time, I just listen to the design concepts and give my two-cents worth,” she says. “The actual work is done by the students.” The magazine’s topics range from photography, art, architecture, interior and graphic design to culture and society.

More than a glossy magazine

The current issue has a black cover with a decorative gold imprint on the front. Inside, the geometrical style and regularity of the print make reference to the early typeface used by the Bauhaus. “The immediate impression you get is that the magazine is high-class and hip,” says Ricarda Löser. The students consciously decided against producing a glossy magazine.

Steps along the way

This is evident not only in the type of paper they use, but also the content of the magazine. The students decided to focus exclusively on the aspect of process. In addition to finished works, “Port” also presents different stages on the way to the final product, e.g. initial sketches, slides, discarded ideas or pieces of unfinished furniture which students have chosen to discontinue. Or as Ricarda Löser puts it, “this issue is about getting to where you you’re going.” It’s this portrayal of the working process which makes the magazine very dynamic and tangible. In this respect, “Port” strikes a delicate balance between looking like a finished work and a work in progress.

Humour, content and style

Despite all the enthusiasm, the designers of the current issue were careful not to set their sights too high; the magazine is not meant to be a vanity fair for graphic designers. Rather, it is a well-thought out publication which dares to embrace humour, content and style. A subjective selection of texts and design coalesces to form a beautiful, intelligent magazine.

High appeal factor

With high-quality content and form, “Port” corresponds to the current trend in magazine publishing. Although times are turbulent in the media branch, new niches often open up when crisis strikes. We are currently seeing an increasing number of unconventional print formats. Fortunately, there are three such magazines published here in Weimar – “Horizonte”, “Loom” and now “Port”. They are all daring and intelligently made. And what’s more, they are all produced locally. The magazines originated from the cosmos of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar – thanks to the independent, student-initiated projects. “Those who wish to study here get their information from exactly these kind of magazines,” says Ricarda Löser, indicating the latest issue of “Port” in its black-gold cover. “Port” has a high appeal factor – far beyond the microcosm of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. 

“Port” is published once a year to accompany the “summaery” exhibition of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and can be purchased at the Bauhaus.Atelier.

If you would like more information or wish to order your own copy of “Port”, click here:
http://www.uni-weimar.de/projekte/port/2010/