kinder der moderne /
Enfances Modernes /
growing up modern exhibition

Weissenhof Werkstatt at the Weissenhofsiedlung, Stuttgart, 2021
Gallery Kolektiv 313 in the Unité d’habitation, Marseille, 2022
Stiftung Haus Schminke in Loebau, Germany 2024

Pairing the recollections of the first children who grow up in Modernist houses and public housing projects with our contemporary photographs of their childhood domestic space, the exhibition shows an intimate portrait of Modernism in architecture.

The photographs in the exhibition alongside quotes from the interviews, present the often-overlooked everyday aspects of Modern architecture and the idiosyncratic architectural moments that are essential to individual memories.

In Stuttgart the exhibition expanded on the memories of Mr. Rolf Fassbaender, who grew up at the Weissenhofsiedlung, by presenting a series of his family photographs and associated annotated building plans.

The Marseille version of the exhibition was augmented by including historical items from the school and daycare at the Unité as well as a selection of photographs taken by the Marseille photographer Louis Sciarli.

In Loebau the exhibition was hung in various rooms inside the Schminke House itself with a special focus on Helga Zumpfe, who grew up there. In addition to many family photographs, a replica of the laperello Hans Scharoun made for her was displayed together with dolls from her era and a selection of Helga’s personal childhood artifacts.

The exhibitions are based on our book ‘Growing up Modern’ (Birkhäuser 2021)

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts