Reimagining Xanti Schawinsky’s ‘Spectodrama’

A paper given at the OurHaus: Art, Design and Performance Educators’ Symposium. The paper described a student and staff research project undertaken at the Bauhaus Dessau in 2019, that took as its starting point a seminal work 'Play Life Illusion' by Bauhausler Xanti Schawinsky. The paper outlined how the group collaborated and revealed the outcomes of the research project - a series of 11 performances hosted by the Bauhaus Foundation in the Bauhaus Museum, Dessau.

This one-day symposium is aimed at art and design educators in secondary schools, FE colleges and universities, as well as artists, who are interested in finding out more about learning and teaching at the Bauhaus and exploring how aspects of the Bauhaus’ pedagogy could be taught in compulsory or higher education contexts.

The day will involve talks and workshops led by Camberwell College of Arts students and academics from across the University of the Arts and will introduce participants to the Bauhaus’ rich and contested history, before focusing on two important aspects of Bauhaus teaching that Camberwell students have been engaged with this year.
The symposium will feature a keynote provocation by UAL Professor of Creative Practice Pedagogy – Susan Orr and structured workshop activities, as well as working in small groups to sketch out learning and teaching activities emerging from the day that could be taught in their specific educational contexts. Participants will be invited for a special viewing of the exhibition Bauhaus: Utopia in Crisis at Camberwell Space.

The National Society for Art & Design Education (NSEAD) will join us to share their work supporting curriculum development through peer networks. They will also be seeking participants’ ideas for collaboration between HE, FE and secondary school teachers and looking for ways that they can lead and facilitate them.

Convened by Professor Daniel Sturgis and Ian Thompson (UAL Outreach Programme).