Space apparatuses -
working out Bauhaus stage


Workshop - lectures - meetings

From April 23 until 28, the initiative “Theaterhaus Weimar” organizes together with “German national theatre Weimar” and the “Bauhaus University” a workshop titled „space apparatuses -working out Bauhaus stage“. In preparation of the BAUHAUS-YEAR 2009 (on occasion of then 90th anniversary of the Bauhaus-school in Weimar), this workshop invites media designers, artists and stage designers.

The 5-day work-space situation aims for collecting sketches, texts, reflections, drafts, contributions of most diverse medial condition, from spatial design to space producing apparatuses in theatre contexts. A material book will be produced in collaboration with “Bauhaus University’s” publisher. Every day during the workshop we invite guests to public meetings, which supply their input to the idea of “Bauhaus-Bühne” (“Bauhaus stage”) and contemporary theatre practice.

Starting point is the occupation with the stage workshop at the Bauhaus-school in Weimar in the years 1919 to 1925, particularly under the influence of the artists Oskar Schlemmer and László Moholy Nagy. For the painter Paul Klee, the stage stood in the centre of the Bauhaus-idea, beside the building structure (architecture).

„The adequate call of today“, László Moholy Nagy meant in his manifest-like text „Mechanical eccentricity“ (1925), is " a genuine organization of form and movement, to be matched as an equivalent to the acoustic and optical (electrical) phenomena feasible today.[..] This implies the end of the playwright and his literature“ More than space or stage design this seems to touch the ideas of space creation with producing constellations, machines and bodies. The possibilities of digital virtuality have to be added, too.

„For a long time, the theatre without subject was identified with the mechanic, automatic, the rigid functioning. At the latest since Deleuze and Guattari were rethinking the machine as creative and constitutive structure, the relationship of conception and production became interesting again“ (H. Schmidgen) The nowadays ubiquitousness of technologies and functionality overmore provokes corresponding artistic concepts like dysfunction, error and failure.

The examination of on the one hand conventional on the other hand visionary theatre apparatuses, which may create spaces, treat spaces, be spaces themselves will become artistic practice as a result of the workshop. Thus, our meeting shall take a historical perspective, but will mainly provide a platform for experiments and presents current positions of artists and theorists.

The meetings will partly be in German and in English language.

Location of the workshop is a large old building apartment, with a salon for the public events and various workrooms. An Internet connection will be available. Beside common activities, like presentations of all participants and guests, meals, discussions etc. there is time to individual working. A garden area is likewise available.

The costs for travel and accommodation of the 10-15 participants of the workshop will be paid by the organizer.

At www.raumapparate.de, a meeting program, link list, search material and organizational information will be online shortly.

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Applications for a participation in the workshop are, with a short idea sketch, to be addressed until March 20th by email to to Kathrin Schäfer or Janek Mueller: raumapparate@web.de

Initiative Theaterhaus Weimar
Goetheplatz 9b
D - 99423 Weimar

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Organized by “Theatre house Weimar” together with “German national theatre Weimar” and the Chair of Interface Design at the “Bauhaus University”. Funded by “Fonds Darstellende Künste e.V.” and the City of Weimar, with friendly support by "Weimarer Wohnstätte GmbH".