beyond bauhaus - prototyping the future
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Interviews

"Design approaches that reflect the thinking of the times": Interview with Prof. Dr. Zong Mingming

We talked with Prof. Dr. Zong Mingming, beyond bauhaus jury member, about the importance of the Bauhaus, the potential of the winning projects and the international competition. More

"The number of promising ideas is grandiose": Interview with beyond bauhaus jury member Oliver Jahn

We spoke with Oliver Jahn, member of the international jury of the competition „beyond bauhaus - prototyping the future”, about the significance of the bauhaus concept for the present and future, the international competition and the prizewinners. More

"The projects reach beyond the original borders of Bauhaus": Interview with Juliana Braga de Mattos

The international competition "beyond bauhaus - prototyping the future", sought ground-breaking design ideas and concepts that address a socially relevant topic and provide creative answers to the pressing questions of our time.With Juliana Braga de Mattos we talked about the importance of the Bauhaus and the international competition. More

„Combining Realism and Megalomania”: Interview with „beyond bauhaus” jury member Wolfram Putz

The international jury of the competition „beyond bauhaus - prototyping the future” consists of experts from a wide range of design disciplines. Architect Wolfram Putz is one of them and he told us what he associates with the Bauhaus and what he expects of the entries in the competition „beyond bauhaus - prototyping the future“. More

„The Bauhaus as a kickstarter”: Interview with „beyond bauhaus" jury member Christian Benimana

Christian Benimana talked to us about what the Bauhaus idea can still offer students today and about his hope of using the competition to select projects that inspire global solutions. More

„Everyone has a right to good design”: Interview with "beyond bauhaus" jury member Lisa Lang

Lisa Lang, member of the jury of the competition „beyond bauhaus - prototyping the future”, told us how the Bauhaus has influenced her and what design can do for society. More

„The Bauhaus School influenced the way we live today and tomorrow”: Interview with jury member Eyal Gever

Eyal Gever, member of the international jury of the competition „beyond bauhaus - prototyping the future”, told us about the importance of the Bauhaus in Israel and how Bauhaus ideas still influence us today. More

„The Bauhaus School influenced the way we live today and tomorrow”: Interview with „beyond bauhaus” jury member Eyal Gever

Eyal Gever is a member of the international jury for beyond bauhaus - prototyping the future. The Israeli artist attended the renowned Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, in Jerusalem, and founded the tech start-up Zapa Digital Arts (later renamed Gizmoz), known for the development of one of the first virtual worlds and the invention of widgets. In his work, Eyal Gever uses cutting-edge technologies to artistically address issues related to innovation, ecology and global concerns. He collaborated, for example, with NASA and Made In Space, Inc. to create the first 3D- printed artwork ever produced for space.

Eyal Gever told us about the importance of the Bauhaus in Israel and how Bauhaus ideas still influence us today:

1. What do you associate with the Bauhaus?
The utilitarianism in modern architecture rejects bourgeois details like decorative cornices and eaves. Utilitarianism honours the functionality of the building and space rather than its grandeur of ornamental purpose. The roots of utilitarian thinking in the twenty-first century can be traced back to the foundation of Bauhaus School, in 1919, by the pioneering architect Walter Gropius. The Bauhaus not only started “a utopian craft-guild that combined architecture, sculpture and painting into a single creative expression”, but also, for the first time, adopted the slogan “Art into Industry” and stressed the “importance of designing for mass production” (Griffith Winton). This Bauhaus trend, which mainly focuses on mass production, demands its architecture and design to be efficient, cost-effective and functional in a utilitarian sense.
Today, at the forefront of contemporary art practice is Arte Útil, which translates roughly into English as “useful art” but goes further, suggesting art as a tool or device. Arte Útil draws on artistic thinking to imagine, create and implement tactics that change how we act in society.

2. To what extent is the Bauhaus known in your country, and what significance does it have there?
I live in Tel Aviv, which is also known as the White City. This refers to a collection of more than 4,000 buildings built by German-Jewish architects who immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine after the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s, and created a unique form of the Bauhaus or International Style in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv has the largest number of buildings in the Bauhaus/International Style in the world. Preservation, documentation and exhibitions have brought attention to Tel Aviv's collection of 1930s architecture.

3. In your opinion, what effects do the Bauhaus ideas still have on our everyday lives nowadays and how can we benefit from them in the future?
The Bauhaus represents a movement. It was the most important event for design, and it gave birth to the modern age. Its influences are seen today, for example in products from Target, the iPhone, the simplicity of a stop sign, even your desktop computer. The way we value good design as simple, functional and elegant is a direct outcome of Bauhaus teachings. Its legacy and influence on modern design is undeniable.
To this day, all design, in any form, is either aligned with or a response to the ideology of the Bauhaus. It serves as a benchmark for those who belong to the avant-garde, in art, design, architecture and urban planning. Since its founding, the Bauhaus has formed the basis for Germany's modern-day reputation and self-image as a place of creative progress—excepting, of course, the Nazi influence from the mid-1930s to 1945. Nevertheless, the Bauhaus School influences the way we live today and will tomorrow.

4. What do you expect from the competition beyond bauhaus – prototyping the future?
I hope it will attract ground-breaking design concepts that will contribute to making the world a healthier, fairer, more sustainable and better place, and that it will do so through creative vision and social impact—designs for a better future, for all of us.

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