Design Acts: Gestures of Performative Research

Performative dimensions of design, sensory cognition, and body knowledge were essential modules of Bauhaus theory. In the context of this year’s thematic preoccupation of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation with the human body, the Bauhaus Study Rooms 2023 focus on the topic of performativity as an integral component of design processes and design activities. Design is viewed as a reciprocal process and a corporeal activity. In different formats and learning environments, the event explores the extent to which performative methods contribute to new design approaches. Emphasis is put on practices that develop design as a field embracing the heterogeneous potentials of a socially inclusive and environmentally just cultural practice.

The two-day mini-festival is conducted by the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation in cooperation with the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity« at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Contributing Members are Laurence Douny with a Guided Tour through the Exhibition »DAOULA / sheen: West African Wild Silk on Its Way«, Maxie Schneider with the Hands-On Workshop »Textile Gestures: Mapping Tactile Practices with Architectural Yarns«, and Patricia Ribault with a Keynote Lecture entitled »Between Thinking and Making: On Performative Design«.

Please find more details and see the complete program here.