Max Dudler. Geschichte weiterbauen / Building on History

Bilingual edition English / German

“Historic buildings demonstrate to us that we are separated from the past. At the same time, they remind us that it is our duty to develop a relationship with history. For that reason, it is construction involving existing buildings in particular that guides me in the search for architecture that carries history forward. ‘Building on’ is what I call the search for novelty that would not exist or even be conceivable without the old.” Max Dudler

Max Dudler. Building on history accompanies the exhibition of the same name at the Kunsthalle Bielefeld. Using photographs and architectural designs, the volume acts as a bridge between Max Dudler’s expansions of important historic buildings, such as his work on the Hambacher Schloss, and newer projects like the Railway Museum in Bochum. The architectural transformation of history results in abstract, sculptural buildings that preserve our connection to the past through their shapes and materials.