Bauhaus Moves
A performative Exploration of Space
Is it possible to convey an understanding of modern architecture through the medium of dance? Under the guidance of choreographer Jo Parkes, the pupils of Bertolt-Brecht-Oberschule explored the connections between space and movement and developed their own "choreography" of the architecture of the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung.
Headline
High-school students taking a course in "Performing Art" explored the building with choreographer Jo Parkes, examining the links between space and movement, and discovered the choreography of the architecture. Jo Parkes proposed the ramp as the starting point for their performative exploration of space, which – in addition to its characteristic silhouette–is a special architectural feature of the museum building. She developed a "pathway score", a "manual for movement exercises", for the route over the ramp to the museum entrance. From this first collection of movement sequences, students, teachers and artists worked together to develop a choreography as a collage of reactions to space, light, transparency, boundaries, symmetry, narrowness, width, height and depth. The students took possession of the large exhibition halls, worked on the development and perfection of their movement sequences, and allowed visitors to the empty museum to look over their shoulders in the process. These public rehearsals created the impression of a long-term performance, which was complemented by a public presentation to an invited audience on the last day of the project.
