Bauhaus Day 1:

I arrived in Weimer the Thuringian birthplace of the Bauhaus in Germany to celebrate the design schools 100^th birthplace in 1919. My plane landed in Frankfort in time to receive a message from Dutchman Bart Lootsema asking if had heard about the Bauhaus controversy just now breaking in German newspapers? No, I hadn’t heard but was headlines on every Germany journal and on everyone lips on the German government sponsored trip.

 

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Leute, chillt! Es ist ja wohl klar, dass wir am 6.11 in #dessau spielen werden. Lasst die #cduafdnazis kotzen. Wir werden da sein! Das #bauhausdessau kriegt auch gerne eine Freistunde zum Thema „Geschichtsbewusstsein und Rückgrat“ von uns geschenkt. #mehrinfosauffb #sachsenanhalt #nochnichtkomplettimarsch

A post shared by Feine Sahne Fischfilet (@feinesahnefischfilet) on Oct 19, 2018 at 10:12am PDT

A punk band known for is political views was scheduled to perform at the Bauhaus in Dessau but was the event was canceled by transition politicians, in some ways echoes the Bauhaus historical legacy and now a protest is circulating worldwide to protest the cancellation—what a way to start an international press event!

The blog outlet ArtNet now reports that “more than 100 prominent curators, artists, and other art-world figures have signed an open letter condemning the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation’s decision to cancel an anti-right-wing punk group’s performance on the grounds that the institution was ‘apolitical.’” The protest signers claim the “foundation has done serious damage to democracy and cultural life “ and “that the decision to cancel the show was made following demands by the center-right CDU and nationalist AFD party, as well as extreme right groups.” All of these events are happening just as the German government is promoting the Bauhaus anniversary also recalls political events that roiled the Bauhaus during much of its existence first in Weimer and then Dessau.