Triennial the Modernism 2022

Basic information on format and motto

The cross-city motto 2022
The motto for the 2022 event year is "Living.Work.Life." This triad of three interpenetrating spheres highlights aspects of Modernism that still concern us today. The ideals of Modernism were closely linked to the development of modern societies and their urban centres that began in the course of industrialisation. In addition to architecture, urban planning, art and design, this also includes people's hopes for far-reaching reforms and a better future through more social justice, emancipation, participation and democratisation. 

Thematic focus in Berlin:
Modernism in Ukraine
The thematic focus "Modernism in Ukraine", which was dealt with on the second day of the Opening event and in later exhibitions, looks at the roots and heritage of Modernism in Ukraine. The focus is on a trans-European consideration of the historical references and protagonists as well as the question of the current state of affairs in the face of the war of aggression on Ukraine and the opportunities and challenges for future European cooperation. More information and program: Modernism in Ukraine

Idea, concept and history of the festival
The Triennial of Modernism (Triennial of Modernism) is a broadly effective and supraregional festival of building culture. It was created in 2013 from a cooperation between the cities of Berlin, Dessau and Weimar. All three cities have UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Modernism 1920s that deserve more attention. In a three-year cycle, the heritage of the era, which is groundbreaking in terms of culture, architecture and the history of ideas and continues to have an impact to this day, is brought into the public spotlight through a wide range of program offerings. The exact program can be found under the navigation points at the top of the page for the respective cities Berlin, Dessau and Weimar. 

Variety of formats and actors
The spectrum of formats offered is also broad: The program includes tours and visits, audio and video walks, exhibitions, installations, performances, lectures, discussions, symposia, interactive formats, films and videos, live stream events, and digital media projects. A special feature of the festival program is the collaboration of internationally renowned cultural institutions as well as the participation of many committed, often civic-minded, organizations. Initiatives.

Diversity of themes and references
The building culture and ideals of Modernism were closely linked to the development of modern societies and their urban centres, as well as to people's hopes for a better future. The goals of democracy, social participation, emancipation and participation were linked to the design and functional renewal.
With the motto "Living.Working.Living", the fourth edition of Triennial 2022 is dedicated to the answers that Modernism found not only to design and urban planning issues, but also to social and pressing hygienic questions. Challenges that are still relevant today, not least due to the Corona pandemic, the housing shortage and climate change, but which also partly invite a critical examination of the ambivalences of Modernism .

Diversity of the architectural heritage
Like few other regions, the triangle between Weimar, Dessau and Berlin embodies the historically long path and the enormous field of tension at the beginning of the Modernism, was able to reconnect. The region thus stands as an exemplary model and catalyst for the European idea of Modernism, which has taken place in many European conurbations in a comparable and partly parallel manner. The relocation of the Bauhaus, which was founded in Weimar in 1919, from Weimar to Dessau in 1925 and its liquidation in Berlin from 1932 is not the least evidence of this. After the National Socialists came to power, "Neues Bauen" soon came to an end in all three cities. Many protagonists went into exile. After the Second World War, some of the ideas of Modernism were taken up again, but were implemented differently in the two parts of Germany. The architectural and urban development heritage of the three Triennial core cities from the 1950-80s is correspondingly multifaceted.

Diversity of perspectives
The plurality of Modernism , expressed in a multitude of approaches, forms and ambivalences, is reflected by an equally broad spectrum of approaches, interpretations, formats and current actors. It is precisely this diversity that is a valuable asset for today's mediation, because it is suitable as a bracket for reflecting on highly relevant questions of diversity, urban development and the social and political participation of civil society.

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Save-the-dates

• 30 September to 03 October: Opening-weekend in Berlin
• 07 to 09 October: Programme highlights in Dessau
• 14 to 16 October: Programme highlights in Weimar

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Among the buildings and themes covered at the Triennial Modernism
include buildings and topics such as:

• The UNESCO World Heritage Site "The Bauhaus and its Sites", which is spread over the cities of
  Weimar, Dessau and Bernau and includes a wealth of prominent buildings
• The UNESCO World Heritage "Estates of Berlin Modernism", six Berlin Estates
  that provided convincing answers to the housing shortage rampant at the time
• Factory, transport and infrastructure buildings from the era of industrialisation
• Buildings and evidence of the reform movements of the early Modernism,
  such as the Garden City, Volkspark, Werkbund and Bauhaus movements.
• Unknown pearls of the Modernism in all three core cities
• Important town squares, ensembles and garden monuments of the Modernism
• Iconic cultural, administrative, community and commercial buildings of the 20th century
• Buildings from the Nazi era and memorials commemorating crimes of the Third Reich
• Parallel and partly directly competing urban development projects in East and West
• Formative housing projects of the post-war period and the 1960-70s
• Architectural-cultural interactions between post-war modernism in the East and West
• Urban development and participation laboratories that innovatively and respectfully reuse, repurpose or temporarily accompany the architectural and cultural heritage of the Modernism
  

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Contact

Dessau
Programme coordination and communication
Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Christin Irrgang

Weimar
Programme coordination and communication
Weimar GmbH, Mark Schmidt

Berlin (Lead / overall coordination 2022):
- Landesdenkmalamt Berlin, Dr. Christoph Rauhut
(content support / Lead) - in cooperation with
- zukunftsgeraeusche GbR, Robert Huber
(Berlin co-curation / applications and fund management)
- buschfeld.com - graphic and interface design, Ben Buschfeld
(Berlin co-curation / communication)

General enquiries:
info [at] Triennial-der-moderne.org

Press and Communication:
tdm [at] buschfeld.com

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Further networking

Diversity of sites, cities and countries
In future, the triangle of Modernism is also to become the nucleus of a Germany- and Europe-wide network of Modernism . More information can be found here:

• European Triennial of Modernism (ETOM)
• Network of associated partner sites in Germany