Bauhaus: Art as Life Events Programme

Transcription

1 For immediate release: Monday 2 April 2012 Bauhaus: Art as Life Events Programme Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre, London, UK Exhibition dates: 3 May 12 August 2012 Bauhaus: Art as Life is produced in co-operation with Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / Museum für Gestaltung, Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau and Klassik Stiftung Weimar The exhibition is supported by tp bennett, The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, The Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation and The Henry Moore Foundation. Media Partner: Wallpaper* Bauhaus: Art as Life events programme supported by The Goethe-Institut, London, The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, London, The Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom, The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and The Hungarian Cultural Centre, London. Barbican Art Gallery s major exhibition Bauhaus: Art as Life (3 May 12 August 2012) features a dynamic events programme inspired by the world s most famous modern art and design school. Talks, workshops, tours, films, a costume party and a two-week Arts School Lab celebrate the lively spirit of the time. The Bauhaus: Art as Life Costume Party forms part of Bauhaus by Day, Bauhaus by Night, a special 12-hour event (23 June). The daytime programme includes kitemaking with Karl Longbottom, puppet-making with Melissa Trimingham and accessory-making with Fred Butler; it is suitable for all ages and free. The evening programme includes Play Bauhaus Jam Out from the Bauhaus Stage in Dessau and the Bauhaus: Art as Life Costume Party, a ticketed event held in the Barbican Conservatory until midnight. Exploring the Bauhaus influence further the Arts School Lab (2 14 July) is a twoweek experimental arts school open to art professionals from all art forms. Participants take part in collaborative work devised with contemporary thinkers, artists and performers at the Barbican and in Germany; applications are through the Barbican website: barbican.org.uk Highlights from the talks programme include those by the children of eminent Bauhaus students and masters. Leading contemporary artist Peter Fischli, son of Hans Fischli, speaks about how the pioneering school shaped both his house and household (3 May). Monika Stadler s mother Gunta Stölzl was the sole female Bauhaus master and renowned for her groundbreaking weaving. Monika s talk recalls her mother s memories of her time at the school and beyond (14 June). Huttula Moholy-Nagy introduces Permanent Experiment, part of a special day of films in celebration of her father the Bauhaus master László Moholy-Nagy (26 May). The day includes the premiere of artist Aura Satz s film Universal Language: A Lost Manifesto and the chance to hear Hattula Moholy-Nagy, Aura Satz, professor Ian Christie and Bauhaus film expert Thomas Tode speak (26 May).

2 Other speakers include C Raman Schlemmer, grandson of Bauhaus master Oskar Schlemmer (28 June), Nicholas Fox Weber, director of The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation (10 May) and Louisa Hutton of acclaimed architecture practice Sauerbruch Hutton (12 July). Typography and communication design s importance at the Bauhaus is explored by graphic designer Erik Spiekermann (date tbc). While Andy Groarke of architects Carmody Groarke and Kirsty Carter of design agency APFEL, speak about how the Bauhaus inspired their exhibition design for Bauhaus: Art as Life (31 May). Workshops and walks punctuate the exhibition run. Renowned artist David Batchelor leads two workshops, On Colour (16 June). The potential of paper to create sculptural forms is explored in On Paper Construction with artist Richard Sweeney (19 May, 9 June) while Torsten Blume, of the Bauhaus Stage in Dessau runs the two-day intensive workshop Play Bauhaus (23 24 June). The Twentieth Century Society / C20 lead three walks on Bauhaus architecture in London: City Influences (5 May, 2 June) Social Housing & the Bauhaus (19 May, 16 June) and Hampstead and the Bauhaus (14 July). To complement Bauhaus: Art as Life, Barbican Cinema will run a week of dedicated events - Bauhaus Film Season (25 31 May). From abstract shorts, to documentaries celebrating modern design and architecture, this series of screenings is presented alongside screen talks and panel discussions with experts from the field. Listings Information Thu 3 May 7pm, Cinema 3 Talk: Peter Fischli From Dessau to Las Vegas Leading Swiss artist Peter Fischli grew up in a modernist house designed by his father Hans Fischli, a Bauhaus trained artist and architect. Join Fischli as he talks about his relationship to the Bauhaus, his upbringing in a home suffused by the spirit of the School and its lasting influence on his own artistic practice. 8 online/ 10 on the door Sat 5 May 2.30pm, meet at Art Gallery Ticket Desk Walk: City Influences Led by the Twentieth Century Society / C20, this walk takes you from the Barbican through the City of London, focusing on how the Bauhaus has influenced both post WWII and more contemporary commercial architecture. Lasts approximately 1 ½ hours. 15 online/ 17 on the door (includes same-day entry to the exhibition) (Walk repeated on 2 Jun) Thu 10 May 7pm, Redgrave Room Talk: An Insider's Glimpse of Bauhaus Life Nicholas Fox Weber, director of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, explores day-to-day life at the Bauhaus: the personal relationships, the struggles and even the scandals. Showing little-known images of Bauhauslers frolicking on the beach, sitting around a samovar, parading at costume parties, and even feigning lovers' duels, Weber sets the enjoyment and challenges of Bauhaus life in context. 8 online/ 10 on the door Sat 19 May 2.30pm, meet at Art Gallery Ticket Desk Walk: Social Housing & the Bauhaus Join The Twentieth Century / C20 as they lead a walk from the Barbican through

3 the post war Golden Lane, Spa Green and Finsbury estates finishing at the 1939 Finsbury Health Centre. An opportunity to see a British response to the Bauhaus influence. Lasts approximately 1 ½ hours. 15 online/ 17 on the door (includes same-day entry to the exhibition) (Walk repeated on 16 Jun) Sat 19 May 2.30pm, Redgrave Room Workshop: On Paper Construction Josef Albers teaching for the Bauhaus Preliminary Course focused on general design principles and his paper construction exercises became legendary. Join artist Richard Sweeney to explore the potential of paper and experiment with a variety of paper folding techniques to create your own unique sculptural forms. Age online/ 18 on the door (Workshop repeated on 9 Jun) Thu 24 May 7pm, Art Gallery Tour: Weaving at the Bauhaus Textile artist and designer Ptolemy Mann leads a tour of the exhibition focusing on weaving and the use of colour. An expert in the ikat technique, Mann considers the lasting impact of innovations made by those who studied and worked in the Bauhaus weaving workshop. 10 online/ 12 on the door (includes same-day entry to the exhibition) ************************************************************************************************* Bauhaus Film Season May Standard price tickets from 9.50 online. See website for prices and complete listings Fri 25 May 7pm, Cinema 1 Bauhaus: The Radical Screen PG * With live musical accompaniment by Neil Brand A special screening of treasures from the Bauhaus era, including Viking Eggeling s Diagonal Symphonie ( ), Kurt Kranz s The Heroic Arrow (1930), Werner Graeff s Composition I and II (1922) and many others. Bauhaus film specialist Thomas Tode joins Professor Ian Christie in conversation after the screenings. Presented in collaboration with Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau With special thanks to the Geothe Institut, London Sat 26 May 3.30pm, Cinema 1 László Moholy-Nagy The Film and Photo Curator PG * With live musical accompaniment by John Sweeney Moholy-Nagy and Hans Richter collaborated as curators for the film section of the 1929 Film und Foto (FiFo) exhibition, one of the most significant public displays of modern photography and film. This screening presents a variety of works from the original selection including films by Marcel Duchamp, Walter Ruttmann, Fernand Léger, Réne Clair, Guido Seeber, Eugène Deslaws, Joris Ivens and Mannus Frankens. Introduced by Thomas Tode, who previously presented this evening at the Metropolis Kino Hamburg. Sat 26 May 5.30pm, Cinema 1 László Moholy-Nagy Permanent Experiment PG * This documentary provides fascinating insight into the life and work of Moholy- Nagy. Through a combination of historical footage, family photographs and interviews, it traces Moholy-Nagy s career from his native Hungary to his

4 appointment as master at the Bauhaus, and later as Director of the Institute of Design in Chicago. Permanent Experiment is introduced by Hattula Moholy-Nagy, daughter of the Bauhaus master and director of The Moholy-Nagy Foundation. Germany Dir. Jens Schmohl 56 min Sat 26 May 7.30pm, Cinema 1 László Moholy-Nagy s Shorts PG With live music accompaniment by John Sweeney + Universal Language: A Lost Manifesto A rare chance to see a selection of Moholy-Nagy s short films followed by artist Aura Satz s premiere of the film performance Universal Language: A Lost Manifesto, which draws on two mysteriously lost projects: the Moholy-Nagy film Sound ABC (1932) and the manifesto document of Hans Richter and Viking Eggeling, Universal Language (1920). Hattula Moholy-Nagy, Aura Satz and professor Ian Christie join us in conversation after the screenings. Aura Satz film supported by Arts Council England With thanks to the Hungarian Cultural Centre, London and the Moholy-Nagy Foundation Sun 27 May 2.30pm, Cinema 1 Dynamic of Light Form and Movement: Kurt Schwerdtfeger & Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack PG In 1921, Schwertdfeger, a young student at the Bauhaus, created a highly unusual device using projected light and colour filters to create a stunning visual play of colour and form. Known as Reflecting Colour-Light-Play, it was first presented at the Bauhaus in Hirschfeld-Mack, a fellow Bauhaus student, would further develop this idea in his work Colour-Light-Play. Introduced by art film specialist Maxa Zoller. Presented in collaboration with Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau Sun 27 May 4.30pm, Cinema 1 Bauhaus: New Ways of Living PG * With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne Series of documentary films providing a look at the ideas for new ways of living that prevailed in the avant-garde of the1920s and 1930s. Featuring László Moholy-Nagy s film on the International Congress of Modern Architects, Hans Richter s Die Neue Wohnung (1930), Ellen Auerbach s Tel Aviv (1934), plus Wie Wohnen wir Gesund und Wirtschaftlich a series of short films about the artistic principles that shaped the Bahaus. Introduced by Astrid Schmetterling, a specialist in visual culture. Presented in collaboration with Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau By courtesy of the Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin Sun 27 May 7pm, Cinema 1 Bauhaus Myth of the Modern (Bauhaus Mythos der Merne) PG * This documentary is considered to be the most far-reaching, critical evaluation of the artistic influence and political ambitions of the Bauhaus. Consisting of numerous interviews with former Bauhaus students and archive footage, this film is a fascinating insight into the spirit of the school and its tumultuous history. Germany 1998 Dir. Kerstin Stutterheim and Niels Bolbrinker 90 min Tue 29 May 7pm, Cinema 1 Architecture on Film Living in the City of Tomorrow (Leben in der Stadt von Morgen) + The Buildings of Adolf Hitler PG * Two films exploring architecture as propaganda and the changing relationship between Modernism and power. The UK premiere of Leben in der Stadt von Morgen (2007), the film is introduced by Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum, followed by a ScreenTalk with the film s director Marian Engel.

5 Germany 2007 Dir. Marian Engel 96 min Germany 1938 Dir. Albert Speer 17 min Curated by The Architecture Foundation. Part of Architecture on Film Wed 30 May 7pm, Cinema 1 An Animated Utopia A Centenary Celebration of John Halas ( ) PG * + ScreenTalk An evening to celebrate the centenary of John Halas, founder of the UK animation studio Halas and Batchelor, including his Bauhaus influences in Hungary in the 1930s. The programme includes a preview of An Animated Utopia, a documentary by Professor Pvaul Wells of the Animation Academy, Loughbough University, examining the films, life and many achievements of John Halas. Joining the post-film ScreenTalk with Paul Wells will be Halas s daughter Vivien Halas, Jez Stuart of the BFI and Andy Wyatt of University of Falmouth who made A Memory of Moholy Nagy, one of Halas s last productions. Thu 31 May 7.00pm, Cinema 1 Max Bill The Master s Vision PG * + ScreenTalk A rare chance to see the recent documentary on Max Bill, the Swiss architect, designer and Bauhaus student who collaborated with the likes of Picasso, Moholy- Nagy, Klee and Gropius. Introduced by Bill s widow, the art historian Angela Thomas, and film director Erich Schmidt. Switzerland 2008 Dir. Erich Schmidt 93 min With thanks to the Swiss Embassy ************************************************************************************************* Thu 31 May 7pm, Art Gallery Tour: Designing the Bauhaus Architect Andy Groarke of Carmody Groarke and graphic designer Kirsty Carter of A Practice for Everyday Life take a walk through the show and explain how they took inspiration from the historical subject to create the exhibition Bauhaus: Art as Life. 10 online/ 12 on the door (includes same-day entry to the exhibition) Sat 2 Jun 2.30pm, meet at Art Gallery Ticket Desk Walk: City Influences See 5 May for details Sat 9 Jun 2.30pm, Redgrave Room Workshop: On Paper Construction See 19 May for details Thu 14 Jun 7pm, Cinema 2 Talk: Gunta Stölzl A Daughter s Perspective Join Monika Stadler as she recalls her mother Gunta Stölzl s memories, anecdotes and friendships made during her time as a student and as the pioneering master of the weaving workshop at the Bauhaus. Learn of Stölzl s journey to the School and her successful career in business and the arts following its closure and her return to Zurich. 8 online/ 10 on the door Sat 16 Jun 10.30am & 2.30pm, Fountain Room Workshop: On Colour Colour was central to the Bauhaus s vision for modern life from painted wall murals, interior décor and party backdrops to the famous colour theory exercises led by Josef Albers, Johannes Itten and Wassily Kandinsky. This workshop opens with a seminar

6 on colour with artist David Batchelor, followed by a Bauhaus painting workshop with Vanessa Cass, Head of Design Realisation at Guildhall School. Age 14 +, lasts for 3 hours. 16 online/ 18 on the door Sat 16 Jun 2.30pm, meet at Art Gallery Ticket Desk Walk: Social Housing & the Bauhaus See 19 May for details Thu 21 Jun 7pm, Art Gallery Tour: Collecting the Bauhaus The Worldwide Director of Design, Alexander Payne at Phillips de Pury & Company, leads a tour of the exhibition focusing on design pieces in the show and their place within the collector s market today. 10 online/ 12 on the door (includes same-day entry to the exhibition) Sat 23 Jun 12pm Midnight, various locations including the Garden Room Bauhaus by Day, Bauhaus by Night Calling aspiring Bauhauslers of all ages. Join us for a one-day event to celebrate art, life and friendship, inspired by the joyous Bauhaus community. Festivities run throughout the day and include workshops on kite-making with specialist Karl Longbottom, creating puppets with Bauhaus stage expert Melissa Trimingham and an accessories making class led by designer Fred Butler, as well as the launch of artist Ian Whittlesea s newly illustrated book Mazdaznan Health & Breath Culture. Start the evening with the lecture demonstration Play Bauhaus Jam Out by Torsten Blume director of the Bauhaus Stage in Dessau and dancer Yun-Ju Chen. Then see out the night with the Bauhaus Art as Life Costume Party and celebrate the launch of the radical Teatrum Mundi, a programme of international collaborations bridging the street and the stage. Bauhaus by Day for all ages, FREE Bauhaus by Night, 8 online/ 10 on the door Sat 23 Sun 24 Jun 10.30am, The Pit Weekend Lab: Play Bauhaus Artistic director Torsten Blume and dancer Yun-Ju Chen lead this weekend course on Bauhaus theatre, recently developed at the Bauhaus Stage in Dessau. Using a combination of theory and practical exercises, explore the various aspects of contemporary theatre and performance using ideas first developed at the Bauhaus. Age 18 +, suitable for artists from all art forms. Limited availability. 50 (includes entry to the exhibition on Sat) Thu 28 Jun 7pm, Cinema 1 babü. Oskar Schlemmer Performed Leading authority and grandson of the artist, C. Raman Schlemmer, introduces the work of Oskar Schlemmer, the highly influential and charismatic painter, sculptor, choreographer, stage designer and Bauhaus master. Followed by a performance of music composed by Oskar Schlemmer for The Bauhaus Dances accompanied by images. The Trio Triadic will also perform, featuring Vincenzo Pasquariello on the piano online/ on the door Thu 12 Jul 7pm, Cinema 2 Talk: Building on the Bauhaus Legacy Louisa Hutton of Sauerbruch Hutton, designers of the Federal Environmental Agency in Dessau, speaks about working in direct relation and proximity to Gropius s

7 landmark school building and masters houses as well as the award-winning practice s recent and current projects. 8 online/ 10 on the door Sat 14 Jul 2.30pm, meet outside Belsize Park Underground Station Walk: Hampstead and the Bauhaus Several of the artists and architects who came to England from the Bauhaus lived initially in Hampstead. This walk, led by the Twentieth Century Society / C20, will go via Lawn Road, Willow Road and Devonshire Hill, through to Frognal taking in a number of Bauhaus influenced houses and flats. Lasts approximately 1 ½ hours. 10 Mon 2 Sat 14 Jul Arts School Lab Can you imagine a different relationship between the arts and society? Interested in collaborating with other artists, designers, performers and writers from a range of contemporary practices? Arts School Lab is a two-week experimental arts school, influenced by the Bauhaus. The School will create manifestos for a new era encouraging purposeful creativity that can contribute to social change. Workshops will take place at the Barbican, London, and the Bauhaus Foundation, Dessau. Responding to the radical Bauhaus education model of the past, Arts School Lab asserts what arts professionals want to change today, with the intention of emboldening their creative work for the future. Age 18 +, suitable for arts professionals from all art forms By application see website for details A collaboration between Barbican and Guildhall School, London and Bauhaus Foundation, Dessau Coming soon Talk: Communication Design and the Bauhaus Inspirational information architect, notable type designer and author Erik Spiekermann considers the true impact of the Bauhaus on typography and graphic design. Often overemphasized and misattributed, Spiekermann looks at the work of the school within the broader context of design in 1920s Germany and seeks to debunk myths that fostered false understanding then and now. Tour: Lessons from the Bauhaus Alex de Rijke of drmm and the recently appointed Dean of the School of Architecture at the Royal College of Art takes a walk through the exhibition and considers how the Bauhaus operated both as place of education and practice. Lecture Demonstrations A series of public events as part of the Arts School Lab programme, presenting contemporary creative work that addresses social change. ENDS Notes to Editors

8 Press Information For further information, images or to arrange interviews, please contact: Ann Berni, Media Relations Manager / [email protected] Jess Hookway, Media Relations Officer / [email protected] For Bauhaus Film Season please contact: Sarah Harvey, / [email protected] Public Information , Barbican Art Gallery, London Daily 11am 8pm, Wed 11am 6pm, every Thurs LATE until 10pm Tickets: Standard 10 online/ 12 on the door, Concessions 7 online/ 8 on the door Secondary school (groups of ten or more) 6, Under 12s free Red members: unlimited free entry for member + guest Orange members: Unlimited free entry for member Yellow members: 30% off which is 7 online/ 8.40 on the door Exhibition Bauhaus: Art as Life is a Barbican Art Gallery exhibition produced in co-operation with Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / Museum für Gestaltung, Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau and Klassik Stiftung Weimar. It is co-curated by Barbican curators, Catherine Ince and Lydia Yee, and designed by architects Carmody Groarke, creators of the Barbican Art Gallery s dramatic The Surreal House exhibition installation, working in collaboration with graphic designers A Practice For Everyday Life (APFEL). Bauhaus: Art as Life draws on the unparalleled collections of the Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin / Museum für Gestaltung, Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau and Klassik Stiftung Weimar, as well as other major lending institutions including; Centre Georges Pompidou; Harvard Art Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation; The Museum of Modern Art, New York and Zentrum Paul Klee. Catalogue Supported by the Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation The exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue co-published by Barbican Art Gallery and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walter König and designed by APFEL. It features newly commissioned texts from a range of leading scholars, critics and commentators such as Anja Baumhoff, Éva Forgács, Kathleen James- Chakraborty, Melissa Trimingham, Philip Ursprung, Nicholas Fox Weber as well as Barbican and Bauhaus archive curators. The catalogue will also include a series of original writings by Bauhaus artists from previously published texts to personal correspondence. Online Resource From 2 May, download the Bauhaus: Art as Life online resource for Bauhaus ideas, creative exercises and playful learning to be enjoyed at home, at work or at the Barbican. Arts School Lab Arts School Lab are supported by The Goethe-Institute London, The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, London. Arts School Lab is part of Shift, ArtWorks:

9 Developing Practice in Participatory Settings, a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Special Initiative with support and funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Creativity Culture & Education (supported by Arts Council England) and the Cultural Leadership Programme. Barbican Art Gallery Shop The shop features an extensive range of books, stationery and design led homeware, including original pieces designed by the Bauhaus as well as new products by contemporary designers inspired by the school. Collaborations with Ideas Tap and University of the Arts, London are also featured. Barbican Art Gallery One of the leading art spaces in the UK, Barbican Art Gallery presents the best of international visual art with a dynamic mix of art, architecture, design, fashion and photography. From acclaimed architects to Turner prize-winning artists, the Gallery exhibits innovators of the 20th and 21st centuries: key players who have shaped developments and stimulated change. The Curve is dedicated to a vibrant programme of new commissions, created by leading international artists in direct response to this distinctive gallery space. Barbican Newsroom All Barbican Centre press releases, news announcements and the Media Relations team s contact details are listed on our website at About the Barbican A world-class arts and learning organisation, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Our creative learning programme further underpins everything we do. In 2012 we celebrate the Olympic year with many of our projects forming part of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival it is also our 30 th birthday year. Over 1.5 million people pass through our doors each year, hundreds of artists and performers are featured, and more than 300 staff work onsite. Our architecturally renowned centre opened in 1982 and comprises the Barbican Hall, Barbican Theatre, the Pit theatre, a cinema (with two new cinemas to open in September), the Barbican Art Gallery, a second gallery The Curve, foyers and public spaces, a library, Lakeside Terrace, a glasshouse conservatory, conference facilities and three restaurants. Find us on Facebook Twitter Flickr YouTube