On the occasion of the Bauhaus centennial, the Goethe-Institut presents Virtual Bauhaus, an exhibition on the German school of art and design using the medium of virtual reality.
Taking place within the Dessau building, which was constructed in 1925–26 according to designs by the school’s first director, Walter Gropius, Virtual Bauhaus offers visitors a one-of-a-kind experience, transporting them into the architectural space of the building as it existed in the 1920s.
Through this immersive environment, visitors explore the school’s central ideas through encounters with its architectural interior. One can construct a material study in the school’s preliminary course, inhabit the dormitories where students lived and worked, engage with an experimental performance in the stage workshop, and ascend the building’s iconic staircase, a remarkable architectural element that simultaneously played host to photo-ops, drawing courses, and the school’s infamous parties. The exhibition’s goal is not only to provide visitors worldwide a chance to experience the Bauhaus first-hand, but also to convey through a contemporary medium the lasting relevance of one of Germany’s most important cultural legacies.
Accessible to a wide-ranging audience, including those with no prior experience using virtual-reality technology, the exhibition will be presented at Goethe-Instituts and their partners around the world in 2019.
Initiated through a partnership between the Goethe-Institut Boston and Cologne Game Lab at TH Köln, Virtual Bauhaus was designed and developed by a team of VR developers at TH Köln and independent Bauhaus experts in consultation with the Goethe-Institut Boston.
Presented by the Goethe-Institut Boston as part of Wunderbar Together: The Year of German-American Friendship 2018/19 – an initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, implemented by the Goethe-Institut, and supported by the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
Credits:
Art & Development Director: Ilja Burzev
Bauhaus Consultants: Jordan Troeller, Robert Huber
Interaction design Development & Art: Eugene Krivoruchko, Volker Zerbe, Mitesh Amin
Sound design: Sascha Haus
English voice over: Sue Cox
Project Manager: Annette Klein
Idea: Björn Bartholdy (Cologne Game Lab, TH Köln) and Christoph Mücher (Goethe- Institut)
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