UM - MODERNISMTODAY

From the beginning of the twentieth century, followers of Modernism have strived for the creation of 'a new world for new people'. The initiative MODERNISMTODAY concentrates on the role that Modernism has always played in present-day art and culture. Out of a sense of urgency that is currently felt in design disciplines, its roots are being looked at again, especially from a perspective that can be termed 'Social Design'. The initiative wants to contribute to the actual discussion about this subject with a number of lectures. The target groups of the activities range from professionals to a broad but interested audience.

MODERNISMTODAY is part of UTRECHT MANIFEST, biennial for social design.

The recent celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the Bauhaus (exhibition/publications) are not the only testament to a resurgence of interest in Modernism, certainly in the design disciplines. Over recent years, at diverse locations and in a variety of ways, attempts have been made to explore afresh the relevance of the legacy of this defining movement. This has ranged from reflections on Modernism, to a revival of Modernist principles in contemporary design and architecture.

However, this is not without a healthy reserve. The bankruptcy of the Modernist experiment is sufficiently widespread to pre-empt gratuitous imitation. The stylistic bones of the Modernist legacy have been picked clean. And the wholesale translation of that style into industrial mass-produced goods has largely resulted in an overabundance of junk. At the same time, the acknowledgement of this failure had become so generally accepted that the earliest principles, original intentions and working methods of Modernism and the Modernists have sparked the curiosity of a young generation of designers. What is widely recognized is the socially committed ambition underpinning Modernist thought and working methods: collaborations between designers and artists, regardless of cultural background, and the awareness that – then and now – there was, and is, a call for a radical, new approach. In short, there is (once more) attention for the social dimensions of design and architecture.

MODERNISMTODAY will be visible at sites where initiatives are already underway in this context. For example: the exhibition ‘Matisse to Malevich. Pioneers of Modern Art’ (March-September 2010) in the Hermitage, Amsterdam; the exhibition Rietveld’s Universe (opening October 2010) in the Centraal Museum, Utrecht; Dutch Design Double in Amsterdam and Utrecht (September/October 2010), which is largely devoted to Gerrit Rietvelds work and legacy.

For more information about the lectures: www.modernismtoday.nl