Eselsohren intends to be a home for the essay as a form of writing, venturing beyond received forms of academic writing in the history of architecture. Articles will appear in their original language (German/ French/ Italian) with and English summary, or in English. The journal Ezelsoren (fig.1), founded in 2008 by Franziska Bollerey at TU Delft has recently moved from the Netherlands to Germany. In the title the change is almost imperceptible to the English reader: as Eselsohren, the journal will now be housed in the AGT at Wuppertal University.
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"Eselsohren", Kid-Size From Toy, to Table, to Town. Spielzeug, Möbel, Stadt, published in Wuppertal DE |
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The first issue of the new Eselsohren (fig.2) discusses the iconographies as well as iconologies of the early industrial period in the applied arts and sculpture within the architectural context of factory or commercial buildings. The issue, guest edited by Axel Föhl, has a truly pan-European scope and includes essays by Hanne Abildgaard (Copenhagen), Daina Glavočić (Rijeka), Patrick Viaene (Ghent), Lenka Popelová (Prague), Renata Skřebská (Ostrava), Inga Karlstrema (Riga) and Franziska Bollerey (Berlin).
The second issue, a double number (fig.3) is dedicated to the topic City Symphonies. The cinematographic portraits of Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Liverpool, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rotterdam, Sao Paolo, Tokyo, and Vienna are analysed. Based on his film "Alice in the cities" Wim Wenders "mis en scène" of cities is discussed and finally a filmography of city films is added.
The third issue will treat, under the title "From Toy, to Table, to Town", child-related furniture, architecture and urbanism. Shortly summarized as follows:
The second issue, a double number (fig.3) is dedicated to the topic City Symphonies. The cinematographic portraits of Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Liverpool, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rotterdam, Sao Paolo, Tokyo, and Vienna are analysed. Based on his film "Alice in the cities" Wim Wenders "mis en scène" of cities is discussed and finally a filmography of city films is added.
The third issue will treat, under the title "From Toy, to Table, to Town", child-related furniture, architecture and urbanism. Shortly summarized as follows:
An advanced view on the socialization of children was a central topic of the enlightenment movement (Rousseau, Fourier, Godin). Specific environments were designed and step-by-step elaborated in the course of the 19th century. From the beginning of the 20th century on, famous architects and artists such as Josef Hoffmann and later Lyonel Feininger, Hermann Finsterlin or Bruno Taut developed sets of architectural prototypes for children to play with. Extraordinary models were generated in the Bauhaus by Alma Siedhoff-Buscher. In the course of the 20th century, thorough attention was paid to the interior design of cribs and kindergartens and their environment. Outstanding architects and artists, such as van de Velde, Rietveld, Beuer, Schlemmer, Terragni, Bella, e.a. applied their imagination to the design of chairs, tables and other furniture suited for children.Covering the whole range from toy, to table, to town, also the design of playgrounds comes into focus. here remarkable examples from amongst others Aldo van Eyck can be analyzed, representing an extraordinary quality.