Area of Activity II: Innovation and Technology

B is for Bauhaus, T is for Tel Aviv

2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the influential Bauhaus art school, which left a lasting impression on 20th century architecture, art, and design. Numerous events, exhibitions, and projects are being held in Israel and Germany to coincide with the anniversary year, which are the key places linked to the work of the Bauhaus. These also include the film “B is for Bauhaus, T is for Tel Aviv”, which will be jointly made by students from the Universität Weimar and Tel Aviv University.

Participants
24 film students
2 music students

Project Content
The participants involved in this project study directing, cinematography, production, sound, lighting, editing, and music. They will shoot documentary shorts in small groups to illuminate different aspects of the Bauhaus. The first film takes an artistic look at the historical context in which the Bauhaus was able to thrive, while two further films explore the concepts for living behind workers’ housing estates in Tel Aviv und Berlin. They thus examine the question of whether the sociopolitical concerns of the Bauhaus concept (affordable living space, apartments designed to be fit for human habitation and of practical use, and various other ideas) still apply today. This forges a link to the present and to shifts in social living demands. The final film takes Kibbutz architecture as an example and is dedicated to the history of the Bauhaus idea across different eras and national borders.

Project working methods
The four short films will be made by German-Israel teams. This involves the directors from Germany carrying out research and shooting in Israel, working with Israeli film teams in the process, while the Israeli directors will work in Germany with support of German film teams. Music students at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar are also involved by composing the film music.

Project Goals
The core idea of the project is the collaboration between two university film departments from Israel and Germany. The joint exploration of the theme of the Bauhaus ensures that intensive teamwork between teaching staff and students from both universities comes about.

The four documentary shorts produced in this way are then combined to form an essayistic, feature-length film, which is to be presented in Israel, Germany, and at international film festivals and Bauhaus events to coincide with the anniversary of the Bauhaus in 2019.
Collaborating Partners
Faculty of Art and Design, Bauhaus Universität Weimar
The Steve Tisch School of Film and Television, Tel Aviv University