Wes Jones, Pro/Con Package Housing System, 2000, computer graphic.

LIVING IN MOTION
Design and architecture for flexible dwelling
A Vitra Design Museum Travelling Exhibition

Contents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Concept Exhibition format Curator Objects / Installation Catalogue Accompanying sales products Contacts

Charles and Ray Eames: Stacking Chairs, 1955.

Interior view of a ger, Mongolia, late 1980s.

1. Concept
1.1 Introduction From a historical point of view, the earth's civilizations or tribes have typically been distinguished as either nomads or settlers. This distinction appears to be deeply rooted in our way of thinking. Thus we do not regard huts, tents, igloos, etc. as architecture; similarly, we do not consider baskets, hammocks, or pillows to be furniture. However, a nomadic or stationary lifestyle is never mutually exclusive; every nomad settles in a certain place from time to time, and every settler will move at some point in his or her life. As a result, both types of lifestyles have influenced and enriched each other during the course of history. What can nomadic cultures and traditions mean for us today? The pertinence of this question is underscored by the fact that flexible dwellings have the potential to play an important role in contemporary life. The thoughts and actions of our society are increasingly influenced by global connections, resulting in new dimensions of mobility and complexity. In some areas such as telecommunications, natural sciences and transportation these changes are occurring very rapidly. In fact, these areas are the actual catalysts for such developments. In contrast, changes in architecture and interior design follow at a slower pace. Dwellings tend to be involved, costly and long-term investments, which reflect the slower responsiveness of the real estate market. This is one reason why the ideas of avant-garde architects and designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Gerrit Rietveld, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Charles and Ray Eames, Jean Prouv, or Joe Colombo have had a delayed influence upon the basic characteristics of our habitations. It is worthwhile to rediscover their suggestions for more flexible and mobile forms of living, which seem to be more practical for the changing conditions and requirements of today's lifestyles. Today's architects, designers and manufacturers are responding to the increased demand for mobility and flexibility with a wide variety of solutions. This is demonstrated by the Swedish furniture retailer IKEA, with a concept that has become successful worldwide, and also by design offices such as Ginbande (Germany), OPENOffice (USA), or Shigeru Ban (Japan).

Gerrit Rietveld, Schroeder House, 1924-25, in restored condition in 1987. Achille Castiglioni, JOY, 1990.

Residential building near Osaka, 16th-17th century. Shigeru Ban, Curtain Wall House, Tokyo, 1995.

Homeless persons dwelling, Tokyo, 2001. Kaufmann Kaufmann Architektur, expandable container dwelling Fred, 2000.

Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro, Sacco, 1968. Martin Ruiz de Aza, The Basic House, 1999.

1.2 Four theses 1.2.1 Living in Motion corresponds to basic human needs A central theme of the exhibition is the way in which dwellings and interiors react to the human need for spatial and functional freedom. Habitations offer protection and orientation, they shelter earthly possessions, provide physical and financial security, and give us a sense of inner stability. However, the ability of human beings to adapt to changing living conditions enables us to create a home-like environment wherever possible: from the womb, to clothing, to architecture, to transportation, to the tomb. Flexibility, mobility and multi-functional usage seem to correspond to our need for stability, security, ownership and identity, converging into a holistic experience of living. 1.2.2 Flexible Interiors lend a creative and dynamic quality to dwellings Flexible and mobile interiors may satisfy the desire for an unconstrained lifestyle in much the same way as our means of transportation, for they also facilitate changes in location: the movement from one place to another, or the transformation of one and the same place. In this respect, we can use our house like a functional machine, with the automobile as a satellite of the home machine. 1.2.3 Mobility is a focal aspect of modernity in architecture and design Personal freedom, in its various manifestations, is a leitmotif of modern societies and is regarded as one of our most prized values. We experience freedom not only from an intellectual standpoint, but also as a physical and spatial commodity. Architects and designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Gerrit Rietveld or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe translated the theme into buildings and objects. They were inspired by industrial manufacturing methods and the technical innovations of modern transportation, as well as foreign cultures. In ships, machines, or in classical Japanese architecture they discovered characteristics which could be applied to the creation of flexible dwellings. 1.2.4 Habitational Flexibility is a characteristic of modern society In today's mobile society, one dominated by service industries and information technology, the distinction between private and public spheres is increasingly blurred. This development is characterized by dining out, conducting private telephone conversations in public spaces, or communicating in Internet chatrooms. Similarly, private life and business activities have become intertwined. The pursuit of our personal interests and our occupational commitments require a high degree of mobility and flexibility with regard to our living situations. But living in motion can also be caused by political change, economic collapse or natural desasters, as is the case today for millions of homeless people and refugees. The way we live is presently in a state of flux-in motion. Designers, architects and manufacturers are responding to these changes by conceiving objects smaller, lighter in weight, mobile, or multi-functional.

Archigram (Warren Chalk, Peter Cook, Dennis Crompton, Ron Herron, Living 1990, 1967. Gold Medal Inc., advertising leaflet, early 20th century.

Jerszy Seymour, Free Wheelin Franklin, 2000. Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Colori e forme nella casa doggi, installation, Como, 1957.

Shady Dell trailer park in Bisbee, Arizona.

2. Exhibition format
2.1. A new approach The exhibition explores different examples of architecture, furniture and other household objects which are mobile, flexible and multi-functional. These examples are taken from a variety of different cultures. To date, an interdisciplinary study of this scope has been neglected in the history of architecture and design. Individual topics such as tents, camper trailers (caravans), transportable buildings, or flexible furniture have been explored, and recent exhibitions in particular have investigated the broad field of mobile and flexible architecture. The exhibition "Living in Motion" is the first, however, to consider various time periods and cultures, and to relate the solutions of architecture and design.

2.1.1 Flexibility The objects in this exhibition not only change and transform their physical location, their form, their structure or their function, but also alter the organization of their environment, in turn influencing the relationship between that environment and its inhabitants. The exhibition divides the general theme of flexibility into the following categories: Assembling and Disassembling, Folding and Unfolding, Adjusting, Combining, Transporting, and Wearing and Carrying. In many of the shown objects, these aspects occur in various combinations with an increased effect upon their functionality and interaction. 2.1.2 Furnitecture Objects which perform the functions of both furniture and architecture serve as a link between them. Examples of this are ladders, screens, rugs or umbrellas. The exhibition organizers have coined the term furnitecture for such items. A further link between architecture and furniture is represented by objects which are part of a dwelling's infrastructure, such as telecommunication, lighting, or heat and air conditioning. 2.1.3 Living and working It is hardly possible to make a clear demarcation between the spheres of home and work, just as one cannot clearly distinguish private from public life. Due to the fact that a number of recent exhibitions and publications have been devoted to the topic of the working environment, this exhibition focuses exclusively upon the domestic environment, neglecting characteristics of the working world when it assumes a dominant role in the private realm.

2.2 Selection of objects In order to elucidate the functions as well as the various historical or geographical conditions and developments of the exhibition objects, they are all accompanied by texts and photos or drawings. Films and interactive computer terminals augment this material.

2.3 Categories The exhibition presents over 130 objects, divided into categories that demonstrate the principles of flexible living. This process reveals unexpected parallels between architecture and design, and offers intriguing juxtapositions of historical and contemporary objects from a variety of different cultures.

2.3.1 Assembling and Disassembling Asian yurts or Kare Klint's Colonial Chair exemplify the principle of disassembly as a requirement for the transport of very large or heavy objects. Knock-down objects also allow the use of saved space for other purposes. Modular objects such as Wes Jones' Package Housing System further demonstrate how assembly and disassembly lead to flexible and creative applications. 2.3.2 Folding and Unfolding Folding is similar to disassembly, in that its primary purpose is to save space, facilitate transport, or allow flexible applications of an object. However, folding or unfolding operate on an entirely different principle, as one observes with the example of an umbrella: without tools and in one effortless movement, a simple form is transformed into a complex shape. Analogous to this, objects which obtain their shapes by means of unrolling or inflating are included in this category. 2.3.3 Adapting The flexibility of a dwelling is also expressed in terms of the way it adapts to the various physical and spatial needs of its inhabitants,regarding both architectural characteristics and interior furnishings. This is demonstrated by a wide spectrum of objects, ranging from rooms with flexible partition walls (e.g. in Gerrit Rietveld's Schrder House) to chairs that can be transformed into horizontal loungers in continuous stages. The widely researched field of ergonomics is tangentially represented with just a few objects. 2.3.4 Combining Objects that combine completely different functions are likewise manifestations of flexible living. The day bed or the library chair that folds into a step-ladder are classic examples. Included in the concept of furnitecture are objects in which functions of architecture and furnishings merge and coalesce: a traditional Japanese ladder-dresser, for example, or the NhEW-PAD house by OPENOffice / cOPENhagenOffice.

2.3.5 Transporting Not all furniture fits the definition of being transportable, but some particularly emphasizes this characteristic. Tea wagons and other furnishings with wheels, as well as items with carrying handles, belong to this category. The criterion of mobility can even be applied to rooms, such as those in Shigeru Ban's Naked House, or to entire dwellings. As a matter of fact, almost all vehicles used for transport have also provided human shelter at some point in time. 2.3.6 Wearing and Carrying As a result of the increasing permutation of private and public spheres, we no longer live exclusively at home. A large number of domestic appliances that used to be located specifically in the home can now be carried on the body of the modern nomad: telecommunication devices, electronic entertainment equipment, tent jackets, articles providing storage space, and objects that regulate the climate in our second skin.

Michael Hollander, room with movable levels, New York, c. 1970.

Charles and Ray Eames in the living room of their Case Study House #8, 1958.

3. Curator
With an M.A. degree in Art History from the University of Bochum, Mathias Schwartz-Clauss (b. 1964) has worked at the Vitra Design Museum since 1990. He has conceived exhibitions on Ron Arad, Borek Sipek and the Thonet company and has organized travelling exhibitions on Charles and Ray Eames and Frank Lloyd Wright. He curated this exhibition in consultation with Robert Kronenburg, architect and senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool, as well as with experts in vernacular architecture and design.

4. Objects / Installation
Exhibition objects Architecture (1:1): approx. 5 Architectural models: approx. 10 Furniture: approx. 80 Furnitecture: approx. 20 other objects: approx. 30 The exhibition, designed by Dieter Thiel, comprises original objects on pedestals, in show cases, objects to be hung from walls, original houses and parts of original houses inside and outside the museum interior, architectural models on pedestals, photos in various sizes, films, texts, and interactive computer terminals. Exhibition floor space: approx. 600 1000 square meters Transport volume: approx. three 40-feet high cube containers (prospective estimate)

5. Catalogue
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Vitra Design Museum has published a catalogue which includes illustrations of all of the objects and most of the images on display. The exhibition's theme is presented from a variety of standpoints in scholarly articles and numerous additional illustrations provide an enhanced visual approach to the topic. The catalogue, designed by Thorsten Romanus, has been published in German, English and Spanish language editions. Further translations could be made available upon request; please contact the Vitra Design Museum for information. Paperback, 272 pages and approx. 450 illustrations

6. Accompanying sales products

The Vitra Design Museum offers an assortment of exhibition-related retail products to partner venues.

7. Contacts
For scheduling information please contact: Vitra Design Museum Reiner Packeiser Head of Exhibition Department Charles-Eames Strasse 1 79576 Weil am Rhein reiner.packeiser@design-museum.de Tel. +49 (0)7621 702 37 29, Fax. +49 (0)7621 702 47 29 For content information please contact: Vitra Design Museum Mathias Schwartz-Clauss Curator Charles-Eames Strasse 1 79576 Weil am Rhein mathias.schwartz-clauss@design-museum.de Tel. +49 (0)7621 702 35 82, Fax. +49 (0)7621 702 45 82

tents houseboats caravans container dwellings mobile home parks and mobile cities transformable dwellings knock-down houses domestic interiors in vehicles wearable architecture housing for refugees and the homeless adjustable floors and ceilings portable room dividers sliding walls folding wall partitions drapes mobile rooms knock-down furniture expandable and reducible furniture folding furniture stacking furniture multi-functional furnishings self-propelling furnishings malleable furniture modules furniture on wheels portable furniture body-attached furniture portable communication devices mobile entertainment and information systems mobile cooking equipment portable climate control devices portable lighting