The student projects from the preliminary course at the Bauhaus Dessau School of Design are a unique document of the learning process. They are evidence of the independent and multifarious approaches applied to the work of “translating” the particular assignments set by the Bauhaus teachers. They not only counter the idea of the preliminary course that has now become canonized in historical accounts of the Bauhaus but also offer insights, in their variety and open-endedness, into the dual process of acquiring knowledge and making new discoveries. The book picks up on the tradition of the public guest critic and translates this into the present-day context. International educators and designers look at a selection of works originating from the different courses taught by the Bauhaus masters. In the display panels in the reader, the historical student works are critically examined by authors and festival participants, who apply a modern perspective to explore their pedagogic and contemporary relevance. The book is published in 2019, the Bauhaus centenary year, in conjunction with the Schule FUNDAMENTAL festival at the Bauhaus Dessau, from 20 to 24 March 2019.
Text: Ludovic Balland, Jan Boelen, Anna Bokov, Clare Butcher, Alison Clarke, Laura Forlano, Corinne Gisel, Tom Holert, Joachim Krausse, Marion von Osten, Nina Paim, Gabrielle Schleijpen, Wolfgang Schäffner, Sam Thorne, John Thackara, Franciska Zólyom a.o.
