Bauhaus Kolleg
An interdisciplinary course run by the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation
Since 1999, the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation has run a postgraduate course in urban studies: the Bauhaus Kolleg. For emergent professionals working in architecture, art, design and the humanities, this unique international programme offers insight into the complex realities of contemporary cities. The one-year course equips them with the knowledge and tools required for a creative approach to the subject.
The once clear boundaries between the disciplines of design and research are becoming increasingly blurred. The new conditions prevailing in global metropolises mean that the horizons of design-based competencies must be widened. Today in the sphere of design, the tendency to transfer these compe-tencies to other sectors – urban policy, everyday culture, economy and the media – is on the increase. The Bauhaus Kolleg distinguishes itself through the productive networking of these disciplines and puts its participants in a position to intervene actively in concept development, research, intermediation and design.
In doing so, the Kolleg draws on the programmatic methods of the historic Bauhaus. Even in the 1920s, this saw itself as an extra-mural venture geared to educational reform, with the objective of generating education infrastructures, suited to the modern industrial society, for artists and designers. At the Bauhaus, theory and practice, research and development, analysis and design, reflection and action formed an indivisible unity.
The one-year Bauhaus Kolleg, which explores diverse thematic priorities, takes up this Bauhaus tradi-tion. Over two semesters, the course offers intensive one-to-one supervision within the scope of work on interdisciplinary projects, coupled with lectures by international experts, workshops and seminars.
Themes
Every year, the programme puts forward a thematic focus, which is explored in selected comparative case studies. The thematic parenthesis unites the participants’ individual projects and forms the overall framework for both research and project work. Over the course of study, knowledge of the main theme is consolidated, and enhanced by case studies and experiences gathered on location. The Kolleg finishes in the Bauhaus building with a public presentation of the course of study and its outcomes. In recent years, the Kolleg has focused on the reformation of Europe in the programmes Bordercities and EU Urbanism, and on post-war urban Modernism in the programme CIAM Urbanism.
Research
Research is one of the cornerstones of the programme. The participants choose between two studios for the sites under investigation. Here, interdisciplinary methods of investigation (urban ethnography, visual anthropology) and visualisation (mapping, diagrams) are taught, and the knowledge gained is applied on location. Online research paves the way for excursions (supported by local cooperation partners) to the sites under investigation. The knowledge gained forms the basis for the projects.
Theory
The theoretical element of the programme offers a series of lectures and seminars on urban and architectural theoretical discourses and historical subjects. These are introduced from the perspective of urban research understood as an interdisciplinary concept. The basis is supplied by a "Reader", which gives the participants a synoptic overview of the areas of discourse – from the cultural, spatial and human sciences – investigated in the study programme. The objective is to mobilise the critical analysis of these theoretical and historic perspectives in order to develop one’s own stances on design.
Interventions
Public interventions at the excursion sites serve as test areas for the Kolleg’s study programmes. Whether in a performance, an installation, a public debate or an exhibition, the participants work together to develop ideas for diverse projects, which are realised with local partners on location. Here, abstract hypotheses and scenarios developed beforehand are put to the test in an urban context. The interventions constitute an important link between research and project.
Tools and strategies
The Kolleg’s objective is to convey an overview of contemporary planning and development strategies in urban design. Proceeding from this knowledge base, the participants are asked to critically reflect on and develop their own stance in relation to diverse approaches to design and to bring these to bear in their projects.
Projects
The Bauhaus Kolleg’s projects put forward design concepts that may be applied to specific urban situations or problems. They are understood as problem-solving proposals, which aim, with diverse strategies, to impact on the physical, social, political and media worlds of the respective town or city. The jointly curated graduation exhibition in the Bauhaus building synthesises the knowledge gained in the one-year course from research, theoretical reflection, interventions and projects. Publications and websites present the outcomes of the programme to an international public.
A year at the Bauhaus
In Dessau, participants in the Kolleg become part of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation’s varied programme for a year. They work in the iconic Bauhaus building, which is visited by over 100,000 guests from around the world every year. A range of exhibitions, the programme of events on the historic Bauhaus stage, international conferences and the Foundation’s projects offer the graduates the unique opportunity to update the Bauhaus architecture and the Bauhaus concept with their input.
