Collective Dialogue “G. Grunow“

Collective Dialogue
“G. Grunow“

[2018]

performance, installation  2902
various sizes

Collective Dialogue “G. Grunow“

[2018]

performance, installation  2902
various sizes

This project focuses on Gertrud Grunow who was the first and only female Bauhaus master teaching «Harmonisation Theory» at the Bauhaus from 1920 to 1924. Sounds, colours and movement form the basis of Gertrud Grunow’s «Harmonisation Theory» which she taught at the Bauhaus from 1920 to 1924. Her aim was to use all of one’s senses equally and harmoniously. The class was quite popular among students and instructors alike, making Gertrud Grunow the first and only female Bauhaus master to significantly shape the Bauhaus curriculum and influence the working artists there. Later, she found herself in midst of the political controversy which ultimately led to the closure of the Bauhaus in Weimar. In this project Gertrud Grunow’s teaching methods serve as the starting point for a multipart work which begins with a series of lecture performances in 2018 and will conclude with an exhibition at the Kunstfest 2019.

At Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Oberlichtsaal, August 19, 2018, the lecture performance ‚Instruction for Action‘ took place, evolving around the theme: How does the term «instruction for action» relate to Gertrud Grunow’s lessons, and what inspiration can it evoke today? This first collective dialogue introduced the audience to Grunow’s work and influence in Weimar. Contributors were Paulina Olszewska (Art History), Ute Ackermann (Art History, Literature), Sophia Gräfe (Theory of Cultural Techniques) and Space for Visual Research (Design).

At IKKM, Weimar, August 26, 2018, the lecture performance ‚Social Dimension of Design‘ took place evolving around the theme: What social dimension does formative art and design give rise to, and how is it related to the sense of the individual and community? Contributors were Paulina Olszewska (Art History), Ines Weizman (Architectural Theory), Hartmut Böhme (Philosophy) and Janek Müller (Dramaturgy).

At ACC Galerie, Weimar, September, 2, 2018, the lecture performance ‚Colour Sound Movement‘ took place evolving around the theme: Based on the temporal, spiritual and spatial dimensions of the human body, as well as Grunow’s female contemporaries, what experiences and resulting notions of colour, sound and movement could have inspired the works of these historical artists of the avant-garde? Contributors were Paulina Olszewska (Art History), Miet Warlop (Fine Arts), Lea W. Frey (Jazz Vocals) and Katja Erfurth (Dance). 

In collaboration with Kunstfest Weimar as part of the project ‚Heat Cold Devices. Bauhaus – Attempting Balance‘ curated by Janek Müller and Niklas Hoffmann-Waldeck and funded by ‚Kulturstiftung des Bundes‘