LUX Pavilion Opens

Photo: Katharina Dubno

Kickoff with the exhibition “More than Bauhaus – the Architecture of the White City Tel Aviv”

Since the end of May, Mainz University of Applied Sciences has had a central showcase in the heart of the city: the LUX Pavilion on Ludwigsstraße, between Schillerplatz and the State Theater, which was inaugurated on May 29 in the presence of numerous invited guests from the worlds of culture, academia, and politics. Spanning approximately 600 square meters—150 square meters on the ground floor and 450 square meters on the upper floor—the university will now present itself to the citizens of Mainz in a prime location.

Showroom and Creative Space

LUX, the name chosen through a student competition, is “self-explanatory.” “It stands for bright and radiant, visible and clear. And furthermore: LU stands for Ludwigsstraße plus X. Like a multiplier and an interface—for topics and theses, for impulses and flashes of inspiration,” as Linda Deutsch, the winner of the naming contest, explained at the award ceremony. LUX will host exhibitions featuring work from the design disciplines; in addition, symposia, conferences, and workshops from the three departments—Engineering, Design, and Business—will take place there. The pavilion also serves as a hub for anyone interested in learning about the activities of Mainz University of Applied Sciences. “This gives us the opportunity to become even more deeply involved in city life through our cultural activities—with a literally transparent interface to the public,” said President Prof. Dr. Gerhard Muth at the opening. “The pavilion is conceived as a space for knowledge transfer and a creative space, and can be used equally for teaching, research, and knowledge transfer. With this interdisciplinary approach, it is of particular strategic importance both for the three departments and for the university as a whole.”

Exhibition and Documentary Film

The series kicks off with the exhibition “More than Bauhaus – the Architecture of the White City Tel Aviv,” curated by Prof. Dr. Regina Stephan, Professor of Architectural History and Vice President of Mainz University of Applied Sciences, which emerged from an international workshop. In this anniversary year, the exhibition takes a critical look at the true architecture of the Bauhaus and its actual influence on Tel Aviv’s White City. “Studying the architecture of the Bauhaus in Dessau and the architecture of Tel Aviv’s White City together during the two-week workshop was a wonderful experience for the students and for us faculty members. We saw and experienced so much,” explains Prof. Dr. Regina Stephan. “Above all, the students’ collaboration in mixed international and interuniversity design teams led to surprising results. We hope that the students will form networks just as close as we instructors have. And we would be delighted if we could convince the owners of the buildings in Tel Aviv threatened with demolition that preserving and renovating them would not only be more sustainable and economical, but would also preserve the architectural heritage for future generations. We will also be showing the exhibition in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, among other places." With its more than 4,000 modernist buildings, Tel Aviv’s “White City” is considered the largest ensemble of so-called Bauhaus architecture. Twenty-four architecture students from Germany, Israel, and Austria set out on a research journey in Dessau and Tel Aviv, studying the original buildings in Dessau and selected structures in Tel Aviv during two workshops. In their designs, which are now on display at the LUX Pavilion, they develop visions for the future of the Dessau-Törten housing estate as well as for two Tel Aviv buildings designed by Bauhaus graduates that are threatened with demolition. Malte Röthig and Frithjof Heinrich, students at the Institute for Media Design at Mainz University of Applied Sciences, documented the creative collaboration within the mixed workshop teams and the diverse input from local experts in a documentary film that premiered at the LUX.

Exhibition

“More than Bauhaus — the Architecture of the White City Tel Aviv” Dates: May 29 – June 12, 2019
Location: LUX – Pavilion of Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Ludwigsstraße 2, 55116 Mainz
Closing event: June 12, 2019, 7:00p.m.

Accompanying Program

June 4, 2019, 7:00 p.m.

Salon Discussion — Bauhaus_reloaded

Prof. Dr. Petra Eisele, Professor of Design History/Design Theory, Mainz University of Applied Sciences
Prof. Johannes Kister, Professor of Design and Building Construction, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences at the Bauhaus Dessau
Prof. Dr. Regina Stephan, Professor of Architectural History, Mainz University of Applied Sciences
June 6, 2019, 7:00 p.m.

Lecture: Prof. Dr. Regina Stephan — What is Bauhaus? The Dessau Original and the Architecture of Tel Aviv’s White City

On September 28, 2019 , the exhibition MORE THAN BAUHAUS – THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE WHITE CITY TEL AVIV II will open . The focus will be on the catalog and insights into the workshop by students from Mainz University of Applied Sciences. Lectures by the supervising faculty members round out the program.