Anything Goes?

Berlin boasts a unique concentration of noteworthy buildings from the 1980s, and more than 30 years later they deserve a review. The colourful diversity of this architectural vocabulary challenged previous ideas of living in the modern world. Widely labelled “postmodern,” it drew on structural typologies and stylistic devices from the past and tested alternative urban lifestyles. By around 300 prints, models, photographs, paintings, films, and tactile models, the exhibition examines for the first time the buildings and visions in East and West Berlin that were developed in the final decade before the fall of the Berlin Wall. 

The contemporary intervention “Times are hard, but postmodern” by Isa Melsheimer employs a variety of artistic renderings to bring the architecture of the 1980s into the present. Guerilla Architects presents the results of a dialogue-based project: in its installation, this collective invites visitors to rediscover Berlin apartment houses from the 1980s through encounters with their present residents. A free web app with audio walks leads to selected buildings from the 1980s. Three different routes take visitors to significant buildings and tell the stories behind them.  

On August 11, there will be a live talk in cooperation with Arch+, exploring the topic of social legacy of the Postmodernism era. The talk will be mostly in German, taking place at the rooftop terracce of Arch+. More information and RSVP here.