Eselsohren
Journal of the History of Art, Architecture and Urbanism
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 was founded in 2008 by Franziska Bollerey, in 2013 it moved from the Netherlands to Germany, housed in the AGT at Wuppertal University. In the title the change is almost imperceptible to the English reader: as Eselsohren.
FROM TOY TO TOWN
CHILD-RELATED FURNITURE, ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
An advanced view on the socialisation 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 nineteenth century. From the beginning of the twentieth century onwards, established architects and artists including Josef Hoffmann and later Lyonel Feininger, Hermann Finsterlin or Bruno Taut developed sets of architectural prototypes for children to play with. Alma Siedhoff-Buscher generated extraordinary models in the Bauhaus. In the course of the twentieth 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, Breuer, Schlemmer, Terragni, Balla et al., 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 analysed, representing an extraordinary quality.
Previous issues
Art and Industry
The first Wuppertal issue of the new Eselsohren 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).
City Symphonies
The second Wuppertal issue, a double number 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.
zuletzt bearbeitet am: 17.08.2023
