Daniel Talesnik, Go East: Hannes Meyer und eine Bauhaus-Brigade in der Sowjetunion
Journey to the East: Hannes Meyer and the Bauhaus Brigade in the Soviet Union
Shortly after Hannes Meyer was dismissed from his position at Bauhaus, he wrote to El Lissitzky: "I am now more convinced than ever that there is absolutely nothing for us to do in Western Europe. The looming specters have divided, and even Paul Klee claims that he should head ‘west’, while I go ‘east’." Like many stories from Bauhaus, Meyer’s exclusion is part of the mythology. This lecture will address the period when Meyer was active at Bauhaus and his subsequent move to Moscow to serve as a building expert for the first five-year plan. The years spent in the Soviet Union are interesting not only in terms of the architect's work but also because his discourse and political views underwent a fundamental transformation during this time. A key fact is that Meyer was able to bring several of his students with him to Moscow, who together formed a group known as the Red Brigade from Bauhaus. The lecture will focus on why they decided to go east with Meyer, the nature of their work in the USSR, whether there was any extensive architectural scene from Bauhaus or elsewhere abroad virtually present here, and finally, what happened to Meyer and his brigade after their departure from the Soviet Union.
Daniel Talesnik studied architecture and later obtained a doctorate in the history and theory of architecture at Columbia University in New York. He focuses on modern and contemporary architecture and urbanism, with a particular emphasis on architecture education and the relationships between architecture and political ideology. He is a curator at the Architecture Museum at the Munich University of Technology, where he prepared the exhibition Access for All: São Paulo’s Architectural Infrastructures (2019).
Shortly after Hannes Meyer was dismissed from his position at Bauhaus, he wrote to El Lissitzky: "I am now more convinced than ever that there is absolutely nothing for us to do in Western Europe. The looming specters have divided, and even Paul Klee claims that he should head ‘west’, while I go ‘east’." Like many stories from Bauhaus, Meyer’s exclusion is part of the mythology. This lecture will address the period when Meyer was active at Bauhaus and his subsequent move to Moscow to serve as a building expert for the first five-year plan. The years spent in the Soviet Union are interesting not only in terms of the architect's work but also because his discourse and political views underwent a fundamental transformation during this time. A key fact is that Meyer was able to bring several of his students with him to Moscow, who together formed a group known as the Red Brigade from Bauhaus. The lecture will focus on why they decided to go east with Meyer, the nature of their work in the USSR, whether there was any extensive architectural scene from Bauhaus or elsewhere abroad virtually present here, and finally, what happened to Meyer and his brigade after their departure from the Soviet Union.
Daniel Talesnik studied architecture and later obtained a doctorate in the history and theory of architecture at Columbia University in New York. He focuses on modern and contemporary architecture and urbanism, with a particular emphasis on architecture education and the relationships between architecture and political ideology. He is a curator at the Architecture Museum at the Munich University of Technology, where he prepared the exhibition Access for All: São Paulo’s Architectural Infrastructures (2019).
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
0 comments
add comment
