Biographies of Modernity
Lecture programme

Concept and realisation: Moritz Henning with Eduard Kögel, ski stadtkultur international ev, at clb Berlin

Modernity is generally perceived as being located in the West. But in other parts of the world, too, new design ideas emerged in the mid-20th century, which triggered discourses and placed traditions or colonial heritage in new contexts.

The lecture series Biographies of Modernity traced the lives and works of influential architects in South and Southeast Asia, focusing on the 1950s and 1960s. As in Europe, this period was also marked in many places in Asia by an atmosphere of social awakening that can be read in architecture and urban design. This reflects not only the individual interests and skills of their architects, but also professional networks, political conditions, social conditions or technical achievements.

Seven architects were presented. I contributed to the series with a lecture on the Cambodian architect Lu Ban Hap.

Lectures:

Gerard Brigden in Islamabad
Eduard Kögel

Lu Ban Hap – ein kambodschanischer Architekt
Moritz Henning

Sumet Jumsai in Bangkok
Sandra Bartoli and Silvan Linden

William S. Lim in Singapur
Konrad Braun

Pierre Jeannaret in Chandigarh
Dr. Bärbel Högner

Balkrishan Doshi in Ahmedabad
Niklas Fanelsa, Jens Franke, Marius Helten and Leonard Wertgen

Seiicha Shirai in Japan
Kayoko Uchiyama and Peter Ruge