{"id":77687,"date":"2019-06-13T15:48:18","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T15:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=77687"},"modified":"2019-06-25T07:39:21","modified_gmt":"2019-06-25T07:39:21","slug":"bauhaus-film-siemensstadt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/bauhaus-film-siemensstadt\/","title":{"rendered":"This film portrays the timeless social ambition of an iconic Berlin Bauhaus 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Siemenssta\u0308dter_2","filename":"Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_2-e1560440159149.png","filesize":892677,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_2-e1560440159149.png","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/bauhaus-film-siemensstadt\/wir-siemenssta%cc%88dter_2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"wir-siemenssta%cc%88dter_2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77687,"date":"2019-06-13 15:33:24","modified":"2019-06-13 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courtesy of Ofir Feldman 2019 and Nizan Lotem."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

If you\u2019ve so much as glanced at an arts or culture outlet at any point in the past few months, you\u2019ll be well aware that 2019 marks 100 years since the founding of the Bauhaus, perhaps the world\u2019s most influential art and design school. \u2018Bauhaus Remains\u2019, one of a slew of arts projects commemorating this centenary, is a collaboration between Bauhaus University Weimar and The Steve Tisch School of Film and Television in Tel Aviv, which aims to explore the impact of Bauhaus on modern culture in both Germany and Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commissioned as part of this initiative, <\/span>We, People of Siemensstadt <\/span><\/i>sees Israeli filmmaker Ofir Feldman explore the past and present of the Gro\u00dfsiedlung Siemensstadt, one of six modernist housing estates in Berlin collectively recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>The International Style complex was constructed between 1929 and 1931 and designed by a team of seven renowned Weimar-era architects, including Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius, and Hans Scharoun, who would go on to build the iconic Berlin Philharmonic hall in the early 1960s. Overseeing the project, Scharoun aimed to foster a sense of community and to prioritise the well-being of residents \u2013 the apartments are uniform in size, have the same incidence of natural light and are built in a way that limits noise pollution, while each house has direct access to communal gardens.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when envisioning the needs of future tenants, Scharoun had a very specific group in mind \u2013 workers at the nearby Siemens factory and their nuclear families. Today, naturally, Siemensstadt is home to an immeasurably more diverse community, and Feldman reflects this in his film, which premiered at the recent Docaviv festival in Tel Aviv. He focuses on three present-day residents: <\/span>11-year-old Ghanaian immigrant Hafiza; Stephan, a 40-something Siemens employee estranged from his ex-partner; and Suzan, a Jewish single- mother who fled her native Netherlands, fearing her teenage son had fallen in with a bad crowd. While both Hafiza and Stephan live on the UNESCO site, Suzan resides in a <\/span>traditional German-style building erected nearby in 1933, just after the Nazis closed the Bauhaus down. The film only briefly alludes to it, but 1933 also marked the dawn of Siemens\u2019 darkest days as a company, as it began manufacturing electronic goods for the German armed forces, with the assistance of forced labour between 1940 and 1945.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":77688,"id":77688,"title":"Wir Siemenssta\u0308dter_1","filename":"Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","filesize":2193050,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/bauhaus-film-siemensstadt\/wir-siemenssta%cc%88dter_1\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"wir-siemenssta%cc%88dter_1","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77687,"date":"2019-06-13 15:33:15","modified":"2019-06-13 15:33:15","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1845,"height":976,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":68,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","medium-width":1845,"medium-height":976,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","medium_large-width":1845,"medium_large-height":976,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","large-width":1845,"large-height":976,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":813,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","2048x2048-width":1845,"2048x2048-height":976,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":10,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_1.png","wpvr_mobile-width":1845,"wpvr_mobile-height":976}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photo courtesy of Ofir Feldman 2019 and Nizan Lotem."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

On one level, the film <\/span>props up Berlin\u2019s modern global image as an oasis of harmonious multiculturalism that stands unwaveringly in opposition to right-wing populism. Speaking to Sleek ahead of the film\u2019s Docaviv premiere, Feldman explained that each protagonist represents a contrast to what was intended when the buildings were designed,<\/span> and that he was particularly drawn to the idea that Suzan is the exact opposite of what was supposed to happen in her building. \u201cI can\u2019t say what Scharoun would have thought of this, but it’s maybe the ultimate fulfilment of his vision to have families of immigrants living in his building. He really believed in equality. He lived there in one of the regular apartments. He didn\u2019t build himself a luxury villa or anything like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, on visiting Siemensstadt for the first time last year, Feldman found it to be an altogether more pleasant environment than your typical urban housing estate. \u201cI was really struck by how calm and green it is, it\u2019s like a village within the city. And it\u2019s beautiful in an understated way,\u201d said the director, also a teaching assistant at Tel Aviv University. \u201cThey could be mistaken for normal housing blocks because they\u2019re so simple, but each one is distinct, and once you go inside you notice the attention to detail – the stairwells are incredible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Serving as an additional incentive for residents to take care of their homes is the fact that the estate today functions as an open-air museum, attracting connoisseurs of modernist architecture from all over the world. But while the film depicts Siemensstadt thronging with tourists, Feldman concedes this isn\u2019t always the case: \u201cIt isn\u2019t usually so busy, I just happened to be able to film on a day when two guided tours were taking place!\u201d he remembers. \u201cBut the tourism keeps the residents aware of the area\u2019s history. Hafiza\u2019s parents weren\u2019t surprised when I knocked on the door saying I wanted to make a film about their apartment. So I guess there’s a sense of pride in that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":77692,"id":77692,"title":"Wir Siemenssta\u0308dter_5","filename":"Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","filesize":1753351,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/bauhaus-film-siemensstadt\/wir-siemenssta%cc%88dter_5\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"wir-siemenssta%cc%88dter_5","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":77687,"date":"2019-06-13 15:34:51","modified":"2019-06-13 15:34:51","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1010,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":67,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1010,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1010,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":1010,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":808,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1010,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":9,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Wir-Siemenssta\u0308dter_5.png","wpvr_mobile-width":1920,"wpvr_mobile-height":1010}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photo courtesy of Ofir Feldman 2019 and Nizan Lotem."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

But while Scharoun\u2019s complex might be considered an enduring success in some regards, Feldman found a tangible sense of community hard to pinpoint in the neighbourhood. As the film delves into the protagonists\u2019 backstories, Siemensstadt begins to resemble a more stereotypical modern urban environment, one in which individuals keep largely to themselves, politely tolerating their neighbours rather than reaching out to one another. Stephan moved to the area after splitting from his partner, who subsequently severely restricted his access to their young daughter. After spending time with him, Feldman came away with a strong sense that he was yearning for support from his community, but not receiving it. Hafiza\u2019s parents have also struggled to integrate, though for different reasons. The girl\u2019s mother in particular rarely speaks German at home, and seems to be perpetually pining for her homeland.<\/span><\/p>\n

Compounding this sense of urban alienation is a conspicuous lack of modern amenities in the area. Take a walk around Siemensstadt today, and you\u2019ll struggle to find a cafe or bar, or indeed any appealing place to socialise beyond a handful of parks and green spaces. And yet the sight of Hafiza herself, rollerblading around the leafy estate, playing with her friends, and generally thriving in Berlin whilst retaining an awareness of her Ghanaian heritage, offers real cause for hope. That she\u2019s reaping the benefits of a living environment that the Nazis attempted but ultimately failed to curtail makes her story all the more inspiring.<\/span><\/p>\n