CfP: Bauhaus and Open Space: garden design, landscape architecture, garden culture

Call for Papers: Bauhaus and Open Space: garden design, landscape architecture, garden culture

A publication edited by Sebastian Feldhusen (www.cloud-cuckoo.net) and Lars Hopstock (www.b-tu.de/en/landscape-architecture)
Marking one hundred years since the Bauhaus school was founded, 2019 will be remembered as the “Bauhaus year”. This occasion exposes the scope of ongoing research activities related to the Bauhaus, which are centred around the disciplines of urban planning, architecture, interior design, product design, graphic design, typography and theatre. In recent years, new perspectives have emerged that complement our understanding of the Bauhaus, for example with regard to gender, modernism or post-colonial discourses. In contrast, the relationship between Bauhaus-thinking and ‘the garden’ and ‘open space’ is largely yet to be explored. This then is the motivation for a proposed publication dedicated to questions of landscape architecture (garden design) and garden culture, discussed in relation to the Bauhaus.
Although the overall focus is given, authors are free to propose their own approach. For example, a topic may be addressed by looking at specific artefacts or through an analysis of a designer’s oeuvre, or by discussing overlying concepts as expressed in the self-conception of a garden designer connected to the Bauhaus. Equally welcome is research that deals with terms such as ‘nature’ or ‘modernism’ in relation to the Bauhaus and the design of open space in a more fundamental way.
The projected publication should identify the principal projects, concepts and terminology relevant for the topic. In addition, the publication aims to demonstrate exemplary methodological approaches appropriate for research in this field. Generally, we hope the contributions will together both raise new questions and give an overview of the current state of research. In all cases, contributing authors are expected to critically discuss the Bauhaus and reflect on what they understand by ‘Bauhaus’. Do they mean, for example, the institutions in Weimar, Dessau or Berlin, an actors’ network, an international educational movement or an artistic programme?
In order to attract a wide variety of contributions by experienced as well as young researchers, authors are offered a choice between two formats for their proposal: they can either expound a research question in 5,000 characters, or submit an abstract of at least 2,500 characters as a proposal for a full paper contribution of c. 20,000 characters. Authors of full-length papers are encouraged to incorporate a strong visual component in their contribution and are thus are not limited in the number of illustrations proposed.

  • Proposal Type 1: Short research desideratum (e.g. discussion of question from ongoing project), 5,000 characters, max. 1 illustration
  • Proposal Type 2: Full paper, 20,000 characters, approx. 8 to 12 illustrations

The editors welcome contributions in either English or German. The publication will be bilingual; contributions in English will be translated into German and vice-versa. The publication will also include at least two purely visual contributions. Part of this project are experienced proofreaders and an established graphic design studio.
The deadline for proposals (complete research discussion of 5,000 characters or abstract of 2,500 characters) is 30 August 2019. Successfully chosen abstracts are to be developed and submitted as papers by the end of the year.
Please contact Lars Hopstock (hopstock@b-tu.de, assistant professor, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg) with any question.

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