Single-use plastics have officially been banned in Bangladesh. But they are still part of the urban landscape. Researchers from the »SCIP plastics« project in Bangladesh and Germany, however, are seeking alternatives. Research associate Susanne Kühlewindt reports on this in the third instalment of the research log.

Even if digital communication effortlessly connects continents, it cannot replace personal exchange. Especially when a research team from Germany and Bangladesh is supposed to grow together in order to search for solutions together. The second episode of the research diary »SCIP Plastics« is about the first joint meeting in Bangladesh. Project employees from the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE), the Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology (CUET) and the Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) met. Research assistant Senta Berner reports on her impressions.

On 13 September 2022, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman Zhina (Mahsa) Amini was arrested by the so-called morality police in Tehran for allegedly not wearing her hijab in accordance with government standards. Some days after her arrest, Zhina (Mahsa) Amini died in hospital. Her death was caused by lethal police brutality while in custody.

Research is an abstract concept. But how does it actually happen? What do researchers experience on the way to new knowledge? What challenges do they have to overcome? With diaries, researchers at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar provide us an insight into their projects – so that others can participate in challenging times and the joy of success.

From 20 August to 3 September 2022, 120 participants from almost 50 countries will once again come together on the campus of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar after a lengthy hiatus for the Bauhaus Summer School.

Nora Giuliana Iannone, a Master’s student of architecture, and Massimo Scheidegger, a student from the Bachelor’s programme in Produktdesign, are among the winners of the international »ein&zwanzig« competition with their project »Future Artifact – Charby«. Their design for a planter made of vegetable carbon that binds CO2 is thus one of the total of 21 designs that have been invited to exhibit at the renowned design fair »Salone del Mobile« taking place in Milan from 6 to 12 June 2022.

Im Rahmen der »Thüringer Bachwochen« können Kunst- und Kulturinteressierte vom 10. April bis 01. Mai 2022 ein exklusives Konzert von Johann Sebastian Bach virtuell erleben: Mithilfe von VR-Brillen und Kopfhören wird die Kantate 182 »Himmelskönig, sei Willkommen« in der historischen Schlosskirche Weimar an ihrem Ursprungsort wieder seh- und hörbar. Realisiert wurde das digitale Klang-Projekt unter Beteiligung der Professur Bauphysik an der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.

The Radio Art Residency Weimar is entering its second year. For the period from April to June 2022, the artist duo from Buenos Aires (Argentina), Florencia Curci and Agustin Genoud, will realise their project »Adapted to air: Collective vocallities for a future sonic forest« in Weimar.

The IEEE VGTC Virtual Reality Academy was founded this year during the »IEEE VR 2022« conference with the goal of bringing international scientists from the virtual and augmented reality industry and research field together under one roof. Members of the Academy are recognised for their outstanding achievements and contributions in these fields. Prof. Dr. Bernd Fröhlich, Professor of Virtual Reality Systems in the Faculty of Media at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, was introduced as an inaugural member on 14 March 2022.

From 10 to 19 March 2022, 12 Bauhaus-Universität Weimar students and 93 students from European partner universities will take part in the first Bauhaus Spring School. In five courses on architecture and urbanism, art and design, and media and culture, participants will have the chance to exchange ideas and work together on joint projects. This new European short-term programme began in the 2021/22 winter semester with online courses and will now continue with a ten-day in-person phase in Weimar.

The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is an international university — peace and respect for international law are prerequisites for unrestricted, creative research and teaching together with partner universities and cooperation partners around the world. The university’s Presidium stated: »We stand together in absolute solidarity with our Ukrainian neighbours in Europe and with our colleagues in academia there. We strongly condemn the Russian attack on Ukraine and appeal to Russia to stop the war immediately.«

Approximately 480 tonnes of waste end up of the streets of Khulna, the largest city in the densely populated Ganges Delta, every day. This waste includes huge quantities of plastic, which then makes it way into the ocean via the adjacent waterways. If nothing is done to stop this, ocean contamination will continue to increase. The goal of this joint project is to establish a sustainable waste management system in Khulna to reduce plastic pollution and to protect marine ecosystems. The project, which is being funded with nearly four million euros, will be implemented under the leadership of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar until 2024.

On 3–5 March 2022, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and ETH Zurich will host a joint conference to explore the legacy of postmodern architecture and urbanism dating from the 1970s to the 1990s. The conference aims to engage in a scholarly examination of architectural and historical research on this topic and to discuss the monument-preserving approach to the testimonies of postmodernism as well as their further development.

The Thuringia Alliance, which the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar belongs to, is currently presenting an interactive exhibit that examines visionary ideas for environmentally friendly neighbourhoods. Interested visitors are invited to explore the exhibition in the German Pavilion until 31 March 2022.

Picking up where he left off, Prof. Diébédo Francis Kéré provided inspiring insights into his work during his second visit to the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, this time with a focus on participatory architecture. In an experimental workshop format on Wednesday 19 January 2022, which Prof. Kéré led together with Dipl.-Ing. Julia Heinemann, scientific staff member in the Building Morphology Department, architecture students were given the opportunity to engage with the concept of participatory processes and develop daring design ideas.

Following the immense success of his inaugural lecture in November, Bauhaus-Guest Professor Diébédo Francis Kéré, together with Bauhaus-Universität Weimar students, will be focussing in depth on the topic of »Participatory Architecture« this January.

The jury, including representatives of the Goethe-Institut, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Galerie Eigenheim Weimar/Berlin and the previous artist-in-residence, chose the Italian artist Marialuisa Capurso with her project »Rubedo«. The artist will work in Weimar from 15 September to 15 December 2021.

Prof. Danica Dakić, professor of Freie Kunst in the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, has been honoured with the most important art prize in Germany: the Deutschen Akademie Rom Villa Massimo Rome Prize. At the end of June, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media Monika Grütters presented the scholarships for 2022/23 residencies at the Deutschen Akademie Rom Villa Massimo and Casa Baldi, which are supported by the German government, as well as residencies at the Deutschen Studienzentrum in Venice.