The Bauhaus Lab 2017 takes the seating combination designed on a summer course in 1965 by Hans Gugelot, Professor of Design at the Ulm School of Design (HfG Ulm), in collaboration with students of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad as the starting point for research into transcultural dialogues on the relationship between craft and design. The international cooperation between the Ulm School of Design and the NID, which included reciprocal tutor and student exchanges, focused on questions pertaining to the education of designers as mediators between the local culture of things and universal design. Based on the aforementioned seating combination, which in material, construction and fabrication followed local craft traditions and at the same time addressed questions of contemporary design, the Lab’s participants research the dialogue between the two cultural institutions at that time.

The Bauhaus Lab forms a three-month research community comprising eight international participants – young professionals working in the fields of design, architecture and art as designers, curators or researchers. In the Bauhaus Lab 2017 they will carry out research on location in Ulm and Ahmedabad and collectively construct an installation in the Bauhaus Dessau that updates the discussions held in the 1960s on the ‘rediscovery of the domain of making’ (Otl Aicher).

About the Ulm School of Design and the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

The Ulm School of Design was founded in 1953 by Inge Scholl, Otl Aicher and Max Bill. With its experimental approach and distinct design vocabulary it was often regarded internationally as the successor to the Bauhaus. The foundation of the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad in 1961 was an expression of the particular importance of design for a modern India. The educational programme was internationally orientated and the collaboration with the Ulm School of Design came about as a result of this. While the Ulm School of Design closed in 1968, the National Institute of Design remains active to this day.

Application

The Bauhaus Lab will proceed in the English language from May to August 2017 and will conclude with a collective exhibition in the Bauhaus Dessau. All participants will be given a workspace at the Bauhaus Dessau. Participation in the programme is free. The eight participants will be selected by an international jury. To apply, please e-mail your CV, a portfolio and a letter of interest, in English, by 15 February 2017 to the programme director, Dr. Regina Bittner, at the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation (lab@bauhaus-dessau.de or bittner@bauhaus-dessau.de)