Vitra Design Museum - Böcker

The Shakers: A World in the Making aims to both examine the lasting impact of the Shaker legacy as well as the more unexpected facets of their production, ideology and way of life from a contemporary perspective. Established in the 18th century, the Shakers were a free church that embraced principles of social equality, communal property and pacifism, viewing labour and design as expressions of their faith. The Shakers’ radically simple, functional objects have had a profound influence on modern design, inspiring generations of artists, architects and designers up to the present day. The Shakers: A World in the Making accompanies the eponymous exhibition – designed by the Milan-based studio Formafantasma – which will showcase a wide range of Shaker furniture, architecture, tools and commercial goods. Works by contemporary artists and designers enter in dialogue with the historic exhibits, reflecting on the Shakers’ enduring relevance. The publication includes a rich array of thematic essays contextualizing the Shakers within the wider design, architecture and art canon, detailed studies of selected exhibits as well as personal contributions by the participating artist. Contemporary object and architectural photography offers a fresh perspective on one of the most compelling communal experiments of recent centuries. With contributions by Glenn Adamson, Aaron Betsky, Jeffrey de Blois, Amie Cunat, David Hartt, Chris L. Halstrøm, Mea Hoffmann, Christien Meindertsma, Sarah Margolis-Pineo, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Shoshana Resnikoff and others.

RIBA Publishing has produced this beautiful book of 16 detachable postcards celebrating the breadth and depth of the work of Le Corbusier, arguably the 20th century's most influential architect. Colour images of his distinctive art works and significant furniture designs are interspersed with striking black and white photos of his most famous building designs such as the Maison Dom-Ino, the Notre Dame du Haut chapel and the Unite d'habitation. Reversed across the world as the leader of the Modern movement, Le Corbusier's work continues to be highly relevant in the 21st century, and this selection of postcards will be irresistible to anyone interested in architecture and design.

An introduction to the cost-effective social housing project established in Dhaka and on display at Vitra. In Bangladesh, flooding is becoming more frequent as a result of climate change, forcing countless people to find new homes. In response, Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and her team have developed the Khudi Bari – Little House: A low-cost structure that can be assembled, disassembled, transported, and reassembled in another location by the in-habitants themselves. A Khudi Bari has been erected on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein as an example of an architec-tural approach and a concrete response to problems exac-erbated by the climate crisis. This accompanying publication contains texts, photographs and illustrations of the building, which forms an important part of the ongoing architectural dialogue on the campus.

An illustrated lecture celebrating the master of modernist Mexican architecture, Luis Barragán. This publication is based on an illustrated talk presented by architect and historian Fernanda Canales in June 2024 at the Vitra Design Museum as part of the Barragán Lecture series. It focuses on the Mexican architect Luis Barragán (1902–1988), whose work occupies a permanent place in the canon of twentieth-century architecture and continues to fascinate architectural scholars, connoisseurs, and enthusiasts. In her lecture, Fernanda Canales deftly interwove Barragán’s biography with his major built works, which are characterised by a skilful approach to spatial and chromatic atmospheres and environments. Following the traces found in his extensive private library, his travels, the exhibitions he saw, and his personal and professional friendships, she took the audience on a multifaceted journey through space and time, providing a concentrated overview of Barragán’s creative work from the late 1920s to the 1980s.