“How we learned to walk …”
“How we learned to walk …” – this is what around 100 renowned and aspiring architects* are showing on the basis of drawings from their childhood and youth as part of a Germany-wide traveling exhibition. In cooperation with DLW, which has been part of the French flooring manufacturer Gerflor for some time, we have traveled back in time with the participating architects, when no one had any idea what career path they would one day take. Back then, they were dreamy but wonderful children’s drawings; today, they are unique contemporary witnesses that illustrate the creative passion that has always lain dormant in each of the 100 architects.
© Gerflor
Because one thing is clear: Great architecture does not come out of nowhere. Even before the first draft, there is the vision, the dream of a great design, of the perfect solution. That which is part of the everyday life of all creative people is usually deeply rooted in the imagination of childhood. When play still opened up worlds without limits, only one’s own rules counted and nothing seemed impossible.
Those who have been “in the business” for a while sometimes rub their eyes in wonder when a child’s drawing falls into their hands: The first pony farm, to which the little heart was so attached that it had to be captured on a sheet of paper, and which actually showed a few details even back then, which today make up one’s own handwriting in everyday professional life as an architect*. The skyscrapers and airport towers that sprang from the imagination of an 11-year-old child and grew into the sky on paper – they still play a role in our own design process today. Because how we saw the world back then as a child has left a lasting impression on us. An imprint that today is coupled with knowledge and experience. And interweaves with what we have already seen.
The fact that drawing plays such an important role in the creative process also has to do with its value in itself: it is the visible proof of our inner wealth – the power of imagination and expression that comes to light in it. The language of architects, which could already be heard in childhood.
The approximately 100 drawings from the childhood and youth of renowned and aspiring architects* are presented in an extraordinary exhibition. Travel back in time with us and meet colleagues over snacks and drinks. Experience the new DLW Linoleum collection from Gerflor exclusively and look forward to the impulses of the participating architects as a complement to the exhibition.
Dates
Berlin September 14 – 16, 2021
Hamburg September 21 – 23, 2021
Cologne/Düsseldorf 28.
September to October 1, 2021
Frankfurt October 5 to 7, 2021
Stuttgart October 12 to 14, 2021
Munich October 19 to 21, 2021
In cooperation with:
More information at:
www.ait-xia-dialog.de
www.creativebynature.de
A catalog of the exhibition will be published in spring 2022.