21 February 2024

Architectural Reconstructions

Event at the Akademie der Künste with Aleida Assmann, Harald Bodenschatz, Max Czollek, HG Merz and Philipp Oswalt
Monday, 26 February 2024, 7 pm, Pariser Platz

Building the National House: Architecture as Identity Politics is the title of the latest book by architect and architectural theorist Philipp Oswalt. This new publication provides an opportunity for the Architecture Section at the Akademie der Künste to host an event on the role of architectural reconstructions as an instrument of identity politics.

In line with its remit as an advisory body, the Akademie der Künste is following up on the events that were held here to debate the reconstruction of the Berlin Royal Palace, the Garrison Church in Potsdam and the Bauakademie in Berlin. Oswalt presents a summary of these discourses and contextualises the trend toward reconstructing buildings that has developed in recent decades.

Published by Berenberg Verlag in 2023, the book includes case studies on the Berlin Royal Palace, the Garrison Church in Potsdam, Frankfurt am Main’s “new old town” and St Paul’s Church and the new Masters’ Houses in Dessau. The event is designed to continue the numerous intense debates that have raged on this subject by examining the discourses on contemporary history and the politics of remembrance. What do the reconstructions tell us about our understanding of history and society? What part does architecture play in formulating a national identity? And where do these processes of negotiation take place, if at all?

The welcoming address will be given by HG Merz, architect and Deputy Director of the Architecture Section, followed by introductory statements from architect and commentator Philipp Oswalt and a panel discussion with literary scholar and cultural scientist Aleida Assmann, urban planner Harald Bodenschatz, writer Max Czollek, and Philipp Oswalt. The debate is moderated by Johanna M. Keller, Programme Officer at the Akademie der Künste

Philipp Oswalt, b. 1964, lives in Berlin. He curated the German Federal Cultural Foundation’s “Shrinking Cities” project (2002–2008) and was director of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation from 2009 to 2014. He has been a professor of architectural theory and design at the University of Kassel since 2006. He has authored and edited numerous publications on contemporary architecture and urban development.

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Event details
Architectural Reconstructions
Monday, 26 February 2024
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
Starts at 7 pm
In German
Admission € 6/4
Ticket reservations: 030 200 57-1000 or ticket@adk.de

For press passes, please email presse@adk.de or telephone 030 200 57-1514