The "Cathedral of Socialism" - Dessau - 2025

A "CATHEDRAL OF SOCIALISM"

or a pavilion on Bauhausplatz in Dessau, Germany, inspired by the Gropius manifesto published in 1919

  

Cathedral ? Socialism ?

What do these words mean ?

Even more, what do they mean, together ?

We are told we live in “dark times”.

But maybe times were always “dark”.

In 1919 Walter Gropius wrote the Bauhaus Manifesto, which was published together with a woodcut by Lyonel Feininger that represented the “cathedral of socialism”.

At that time Gropius had an almost mystical vision about architecture, if we consider that in that short manifesto he used the word “heavens” twice and the last word was “faith.”

Heavens ?

Faith ?

Was he out of his mind ?

His idealism was short lived though.

And the new Bauhaus buildings, which opened in 1925, were far from bringing together painting, sculpture and architecture.They were certainly far from being, together, the cathedral of socialism.

Nothing medieval or mystical about the new buildings.

On the occasion of the centennial of the Dessau buildings we invite you to imagine and propose, across the street from the main building, on Bauhausplatz, a structure, a pavilion, or even a smaller cathedral, reminding us of the beginning of the Bauhaus.

That Bauhaus that advocated the conjunction of all the arts in the name of spirit.

Can we do this at this time, our dark time ?

Is it too idealistic ?

But what if, stubborn, we refuse to forget what Gropius wrote in 1919 ? What If we refuse to ignore the pictorial representation of Lyonel Feininger ? Would it be impossible ?

We invite you to imagine a quintessential building that would express, as well as possible, the desiderata of the 1919 manifesto.

Imagine a building that would announce perhaps, and hopefully, what Gropius hoped for.

Even if our times do not seem disposed to do so.

Please send us your proposals, digitally, on one poster size A1, oriented vertically, to [email protected] by December 1st. We will publish all of them on our website. We will also organize a traveling exhibition. For more details, photographs and the site plan, or if you have any question, please be kind and contact us. 

Thank you,

I C A R C H