Look is proud to participate in Budapest100, an annual programme founded by the Open Society Archives and KÉK Contemporary Architecture Centre this year paying tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus movement. Beside the other events taking place in our building on the first weekend of May, we are presenting László Moholy-Nagy's legendary documentary Architects's Congress along with our Bauhaus-themed family programme.
It was suggested by Hungarian ex-Bauhaus teacher Marcel Breuer that the 4th International Congress of Modern Architecture (CIAM - Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne) should be held at sea. It took place during the course of a voyage from Marseille to Athens, and in the Greek capital in August 1933. The participants, i.e. the crew of the steamboat Patris II included the founders of the organization: Le Corbusier, Cornelius van Eesteren and Sigfried Giedion. The theme of the most successful conference in the history of CIAM was 'The Functional City'.
László Moholy-Nagy was comissioned to make a documentary about the two weeks of the congress and about Greece. This 29-minute silent 16 mm film, which was shot throughout on a hand-held Zeiss Kinamo, later became known as Architects' Congress.
He also included in his documentary a 4-day cruise to the Greek Islands, which according to him "... was an unusual experience. imagine a small nutshell on a rough sea, manned by a captain, helmsman and several sailors, and 25 chosen guests of the congress, mostly french, who like to keep to themselves, and several swiss, dutch and greeks + me."*
* László Moholy-Nagy, letter to Sibyl, 13 August 1933 [translated by Hattula Moholy-Nagy]; source: Chris Blencowe, Judith Levine: moholy's edit (the avant-garde at sea, august 1933) - Lars Müller Publishers
