What is associated with Bauhaus today? Which Bauhaus are we talking about? Is it a style, a design brand, a university? A hardware store for DIY builders? A socially aware ideology of art for the masses – later actually put into practice by IKEA? Is it a multi-disciplinary, experimental approach, a praise of craftsmanship, a way of rethinking the roles of designer and user?
The world’s ever largest Bauhaus exhibition at Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, offers an up-to-date view of the Bauhaus with Christine Hill’s installation Do-It-Yourself Bauhaus.
Christine Hill is an artist and the founder of the Volksboutique – once a second-hand shop and currently a production label based in Berlin. As in the concept of the Volksboutique, also here Hill puts the artist in the role of service provider and makes the art action a participatory project.
Set up in the midst of the 900 museum objects, Hill’s installation portrays a new interpretation of what could be the heritage of this institution, a Bauhaus attitude today. Hill’s social, co-operative workshop approach is what builds an interesting link, beyond aspects of form or style, between the aims and methods of contemporary art forms, DIY cultures and the original Bauhaus.
The exhibition Bauhaus – a Conceptual Model is still on until 4th October, 2009.
