Tradition has to be nurtured, said Oliver Elser at the start of his talk. No sooner said than done: Like the year before, the curator – now an indispensible actor in the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK show – started the talk with a video clip. An impressive video clip.
The images outlined the German pavilion in the run-up to the Architecture Biennale in Venice: Where a building plot once reflected the world order in miniature, this year’s German contribution addressed the consequences of the refugee situation. But how can a massive building from 1938 articulate the present euphoric mood in architecture? How can maxims about openness apply to a bulky building with meter-thick walls? By breaking through the masonry, by
creating new entrances, the house opened itself up just as the borders once did. Suddenly the pavilion manifested itself as a symbolic sightline towards its neighbors, France for instance. Basing his argument on the eight principles of a successful “arrival city”, Elser subsequently presented various buildings for accommodating refugees, which he used to venture a cautious look into the future.