A Spectre is Haunting Europe, the Spectre of Bauhaus

Abstract

This paper reflects Selma Harrington's study at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism in Sarajevo, recalling the impressions, the atmosphere of the school, and its memorable personalities. It remotely draws on the concepts of exile and otherness (Walter Benjamin, Edward Said, Jean-Luc Nancy) and of homegrown poetic voices (Aleksa Šantić, Mak Dizdar). The formative impact on her professional development is linked to growing up in an environment marked by the ideas of social justice and equality, echoes of the post-WW2 renewal and reconstruction period, with increasing self-confidence and development in the region and internationally. This is followed by a somewhat nomadic professional engagement in Europe, Africa, and Asia — in practice, education, and activism in international professional associations such as the Architects Council of Europe (ACE) and the Union of International Architects (UIA). The broader cultural context around the Faculty calls for a gaze back to the ideas of the Bauhaus and the International Style in architecture, both of which had a defining influence on the character of architectural study and practice. The cyclical character of the Bosnian environment and built heritage, coupled with resilience and adaptation, mirrors the general societal development, as well as that of architecture and architects. The contemporary extraordinary opportunities from communication and digital technologies, contrasted with climate change, natural and human-caused disasters, narrow the gaps between local and regional post-modern global phenomena. This calls for a critical review and a competent cultural adaptation. The launch of the EU COM's New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative — aimed at neighborhoods, bottom- up actions, and joint creative entrepreneurship — was a significant move amidst the pandemic. This essay develops a thesis that the NEB unfolds a value system that resonates with what her generation brought out and applied successfully while forging careers abroad. These point to a potential or a new link in a cyclical spiral of creativity, networking, and resilience, reconnecting the Faculty's past, present,
and future.