The Bauhaus bus hits 4 cities in the world

The Bauhaus bus is 161.46 sq. feet mobile building promoting the principles of the art school

“Wohnmaschine” or “living house” is the name given to the Bauhaus bus, a 161.46 sq. feet mobile building that is ready to hit various cities. The piece is a replica of part of the school workshop in Dessau, Germany.

The replica has the same squared glass walls of the building, as well as the emblematic sign with the school’s name. Inside the bus, there is a space for exhibitions and talks. Furthermore, it bears shelves with a collection of books about the Bauhaus.

The Bauhaus bus is designed by the architect Van Bo Le-Mentzel and has been cataloged as a World Heritage Site. The building was created in 1919 under the supervision of its founding director Walter Gropius; additionally, he established the school with the purpose of overhauling the teaching of the arts.

2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the school’s creation. Thus, as part of the celebrations that are to take place, the Bauhaus bus will travel to four cities around the world. Hong Kong, Berlin and Kinshasa are three of the destinations, and they will make a tour of Germany. In total, the bus will tour for 10 months of the year.

One of the goals of the mobile Bauhaus is to seek to “unlearn” the Eurocentric attitudes of that the school teaches. That is to say, to continue with the foundations of the school, but to renew and update those precepts. Additionally, it will attempt to research, challenge and act against the power structures of design practices.

Lastly, workshops and talks will be held at the Wohnmaschine to discuss the issues of housing shortages and gentrification. The exact dates of the tour can be consulted on the website.

Translated by Paula Villanueva