Introduction to Prefabricated Buildings
In the second half of the 20th century, residential tower blocks made of prefabricated concrete slabs were built in many parts of the world. This type of building was particularly popular in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), where it became known as a "prefabricated building". The cultural implications of the prefabricated building are so specific that they have become a significant part of the country’s history.
The Exhibition: Art and Life in Plattenbau
The exhibition "Residential complex: Art and Life in Plattenbau" examines the cultural heritage of the prefabricated buildings as a habitat, as a symbol of social utopias, and as a projection of social changes. The exhibition curator, Kito Nedo, aims to let the works of art speak for themselves and enable visitors to rethink the many facets of the prefabricated building.
Lack of Housing: An Infinite Crisis
Finding an affordable place to live in large cities has been a problem for at least 200 years. After the Second World War, many cities were destroyed by bombing, and a large influx of German refugees from the further east worsened the situation. The modernization of older buildings was very expensive, and the "old building" apartments were often heated with coal, had no hot flowing water, and the bathrooms became common rooms outside of the units.
The Rise of Prefabricated Buildings
As an alternative, the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party started its apartment building program in October 1973 and promised to solve the real estate crisis within 20 years. The "new building" or new complexes were not only seen as a modern solution for providing a large number of people with housing, but they were also funded by the East German state as a socialist utopia. The rents subsidized by the state were kept extremely low, although it was not economically viable.
A Phase for Painful Transformation
But then the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, and suddenly the utopia became total dystopia. The reunification of Germany led to the dismantling of many state industries in the GDR, resulting in a high unemployment rate in the city’s urban clusters, which had been developed for families of the working class. The growing despair manifested itself through extremism, and the era became known as "The Baseball Bat Years", with an increase in attacks by neo-Nazis.
Art that Allows Personal Interpretations
The curator Nedo wants to let the works of art speak for themselves, focusing on art that expresses a certain ambivalence and enables various interpretations. Among the exhibits are paintings and drawings by the artist Sabine Moritz, who reproduces herself from the memory details of her childhood in the 1970s in Lobeda, a prefabricated residential area of Jena. The style of drawings is childish, but their personal memories are very precise and reflect the memories of many other people who lived in similar prefabricated areas.
Conclusion
After decades in which they were seen as a problematic remnant of the failures of the GDR, the prefabricated building is back in the spotlight, with various exhibitions checking the inheritance of the architecture of the era. The exhibitions aim to draw attention to the neglected and forgotten prefabricated building districts and maybe serve as a call to deal with them.
