How can we more constructively co-exist, exist, as a society? How can we manage and employ the, invariably finite, resources at our disposal, be they, for example, space, buildings, energy, water, food, whatever, in manners that are not only sustainable and responsible but that promote and advance individuals, communities and societies rather than leading to conflict and division?
Such, and similar questions, are not only very inherent in the Munich Creative Business Week, MCBW, 2025 motto How to design a vibrant community, but were, certainly in our reading of things, at the core of the Deutscher Werkbund Bayern's project Atlas des Gemeinsamen, Atlas of the Common/Collective/Mutual; a project initiated in context of the 2023 Deutscher Werkbundtag, Deutsche Werkbund Conference that became an Atlas of some 40+ projects across Germany, and occasionally creeping into Switzerland, that, in many regards, certainly we'd argue an argument can be constructed, represent for the responsible authors, cartographers, of the Atlas best case examples of achieving a more common/collective/mutual society and thereby a more responsive, durable and vibrant society.
An Atlas, a presentation, that having premiered in Munich in 2023 set of a small tour that has seen it return to Munich in context of MCBW 2025 in the exhibition space operated by architectural software and BIM contractors Schnitzer&.
40+ projects nominated by the various regional Deutsche Werkbund chapels presented, introduced, as posters and which concern themselves primarily, superficially, with a variety of themes including farming/food production and supply as represented by, for example, FoodHub München, a form of collective supermarket in which all members must not only make regular financial contributions, but work in order to accrue the benefits of membership, or the communal garden in Weyarn, a community to the south of Munich, a garden whose products belongs to all whether they contributed to their cultivation or not, and a Weyarn in which for over 30 years public participation has been the basis for all infrastructure and development decisions; construction/the built environment in its many guises as exemplified by, and amongst other projects, Dresden's Team Zirkuläres Bauen with their advocacy of, well circularity, in construction or Bürgergenossenschaft Mündener Altstadt who since 2013 have been renovating and reinvigorating dilapidated and abandoned timber-framed buildings in Hannoversch Münden's historic old town; or culture in its myriad expressions via projects as varied as the Alte Spinnerei & Tuchfabrik Lengenfeld, near Chemnitz, an old textile mill rejuvenated to enable both the local production of cloth and yarn and the maintenance of craft knowledge in a digital age or Tanztendenz München with not only its physical spaces for enabling dancers to work and develop their art outwith the restraints of commerce and Capital, but that also acts seeks to promote and encourage contemporary dance in Munich and beyond. To name but three of the myriad themes represented.
40+ projects that allow access to differentiated perspectives on contemporary social challenges, not least the globality of local challenges, an appreciation that however specific your local challenge may be, others are facing the same; 40+ projects that allow access to the position that just because a project is communal/collective/mutual doesn't mean it is for everyone or that all will approve — there are projects highlighted by the Atlas that you will instantly converse with, delight in, begin to delve deeper into on your own with a passion, and others you will tend to roll your eyes at, reject out of hand and which require real effort to come into conversation with, but for which you never develop a genuine warmth — thus a reinforcement that even in the communal we all exist as individuals, and that part of the trick is not sacrificing the individual for the communal nor the communal for the individual; 40+ projects that neatly underscore that while architecture is without question important, a building in itself is never the answer, regardless of the question, or what the architect tells you, rather it's the users who make a building functional and are responsible for ensuring it remains functional as realities change; 40+ projects that mix and blend to create a composition that helps elucidate that approaching one or the other theme in isolation simply cannot be the path to a more responsive, cohesive society, rather all themes, all aspects of contemporary society, must be treated as equal and approached in context of the complexity of their inter-relationships.
40+ projects that as a composition reinforce that not only projects of the type featured in the Atlas des Gemeinsamen need to be approached communely/collectively/mutually, but all social and culture projects. And also tends to an argument that a key to achieving a more common/collective/mutual society is discussion and discourse in all spheres and contexts. That same discussion and discourse we're currently in the process of dismantling and banishing from society.
Thus 40+ projects that pose the urgent question of how the lessons inherent in their biographies can be employed in wider contexts? How can their lessons become communal/collective/mutual? Can their lessons become communal/collective/mutual?
For that the Atlas des Gemeinsamen isn't appropriate. Which isn't a criticism, far from it. Rather as with any atlas the Atlas des Gemeinsamen can but help us locate that which we are searching for and chart physical relationships. It can't fully explain the locations it marks, nor describe how the experience of that location will affect you, for that you must visit, explore, engage.
As an atlas it is but a component of a journey; and an excellent place to start planning that journey. Individually and collectively.
Deutscher Werkbund Bayern - Atlas des Gemeinsamen can be viewed at Schnitzer& Studio, Lindwurmstraße 95a, 80337 Munich until Tuesday May 27th.
Further details can be found at https://sonst.schnitzerund.de
And further details on Munich Creative Business Week 2025 can be found at www.mcbw.de
