Edition Bauhaus 49
In Reserve: The Household! Historic Models and Contemporary Positions from the Bauhaus
“How are we to live in a way that is healthy and economical?” One answer to this question was provided by Ernst Jahn’s film of the same name Wie wohnen wir gesund und wirtschaftlich? (1926–28), which showed the kitchen in the Gropius House complete with all the latest domestic appliances it was equipped with. The Dessau Masters’ Houses were not only showcases of “new living” (Neues Wohnen) but also places where modern methods of housekeeping could be demonstrated. The topical relevance of this question was discussed at the 2015 Haushaltsmesse, an international trade fair on the art of housekeeping and budgeting. The publication Housekeeping in the Modern Age, which takes a documentary approach to this subject, now brings together these different viewpoints eyeing the question through the prism of the problems we face today. In the face of climate change and dwindling resources, the externalized costs of running a modern household are back on the (kitchen) table.
The book is a compilation of essays by internationally renowned anthropologists, economists, artists, architects, historians, and cultural studies experts and also contains a wealth of historical documents and photographs.
Edited for the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation
by Regina Bittner and Elke Krasny.Texts by: Stefani Bardin, Regina Bittner, Rosie Cox, Adam Drazin, Estudio Sic, Katherine Gibson, Rania Ghosn, Jennifer Heinfeld, Alison Hugill, Andres Jaque, Elke Krasny, Monika Markgraf, Erna Meyer, Mary Nolan, Konrad Püschel, Maliha Safri, Szymczak, Michael Zinganel et al.
Graphic Design: Ondine Pannet & David Foss
Exhibition: Haushaltsmesse – The Art of Housekeeping in the 21st Century
Layout: 352 pages, numerous b&w and colour illustrations, softcover
Languages: English and German
Spector Books, Leipzig
2016ISBN 978-3-95905-091-3 (en)
ISBN 978-3-95905-082-1 (de)€ 32