Berlin stands foremost as the connecting point between the East and the West, serving as the reference point to deepen dialogue with our neighbours in Central and Eastern European cities, with their rich architectural traditions and their new contemporary architectural scene. The focus is on the young generation of architects and their built projects, who are shaping the architectural culture in their countries.
Exhibition Design
This exhibition presents thirty built projects, in detail, on the wall panels. These buildings embody, independently from their country of origin, strong conceptual thinking and consequent implementation of the design concept. These projects are ordered according to building typology, starting with public buildings; museums, galleries, schools and sports facilities, followed by housing; private and social; and finally commercial buildings.
Nine Lightboxes or ‘Country Islands’ provide an overview, introducing young architectural offices with their built projects. Here, it is readable; what and how much is being built in the single states, and in which urban environment. Under ‘Favourites’, participating architects were asked to select a building of relevance from his/her country in order to give reference to precedents and buildings that the young architects find inspiring or noteworthy.
The exhibited projects clearly show that the current architecture of the presented countries develops out of an intense cultural debate fueled by both rich traditions and architectural tendencies at a national and international level. The presented projects do not represent a specific style that can be named, but rather have in common: the clear implementation of convincing conceptual answers to diverse building problems, that are based on a rich architectural heritage.
Emerging Identities -EAST! is an ongoing project. The exhibition will travel throughout Europe in order to underline the goal of international exchange. The two-day opening symposium ‘Positions’ and a country-specific accompanying program deepen certain perspectives. The communication started there and hopefully will be continued in the architectural magazines, galleries and most importantly at the offices of the architects themselves.
Kristien Ring, Exhibition Design, Initiator and Curator
Full Project Description, CREDITS and Architects Listing under Project: Emerging Identities EAST
