System AdA: Conditions of working and living

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The archive looks at utopias of the last century that were driven by the desire for profound transformation in the social dynamic, and are now part of an endless debate, not about the past, but about the potential path into a future full of freedom and autonomy—or its impossibility. In “Conditions of Working and Living,” the AdA traces a few chapters of the narrative of this discussion, through selected documents, journals, and photographs from the collection. Throughout the 20th century, various movements sought strategies for dealing with the rules of the game, what it meant to be productive and live in a community, to change it, or discard it. Art, culture, and its institutions (such as museums and archives) were also part of this radical game; sometimes, as protagonists, they claimed this entire space, while at other times they found themselves the losers. What can the methodologies of the Bauhaus and the Deutscher Werkbund tell us about these issues? Which direction should we take? The archive offers no answers, but raises many exciting questions.