Art + Design: The New Bauhaus

The New Bauhaus (2019). Dir. Alysa Nahmias, 89 Minutes. Tickets are $12. for one week of viewing access: https://www.thenewbauhaus.com/epsilon-spires

RSVP on this page for link to join the online filmmaker conversation: 8pm, Wednesday, Jan.13th.

 After being forced into exile by the Nazis, radical Hungarian artist László Moholy-Nagy moved to Chicago in 1937 and spearheaded “The New Bauhaus,” a movement descended from the famous German school. An original Bauhaus member, Moholy-Nagy took a pioneering interdisciplinary mixed-media approach to art and design that was vastly ahead of its time. Motivated by the challenge of creating within the limitations of the Great Depression and then World War II, Moholy’s embrace of artistic versatility and technological possibility continues to reverberate in the artworld today. With recent major retrospectives at The Guggenheim Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and LACMA, Moholy is now receiving recognition he never received in his lifetime. Featuring intimate interviews with Moholy-Nagy’s daughter and an in-depth exploration of his groundbreaking work, The New Bauhaus offers an illuminating portrait of a visionary teacher and thinker. 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNGVmRHj8PA

“The experience of space is not a privilege of the gifted few, but a biological function”-László Moholy-Nagy 

"Much like many filmmakers do with cities in fictional narrative form, New Bauhaus director Alysa Nahmias allows Chicago to become a living, breathing entity that pulsates with Moholy-Nagy’s romantic outlook on the world in documentary form. By the end of the movie, you won’t just admire Moholy-Nagy—you’ll want to be just like him.”-Travis Bean, Forbes

“You’ll never look at a bar of Dove soap the same way after watching this.”-Rogerebert.com

Filmmaker Q&A 8pm (EST), Wednesday, Jan.13th. 

Producer and cinematographer, Petter Ringbom:

Ringbom’s debut feature documentary, “The Russian Winter,” followed musician John Forté’s Russian odyssey after release from prison. His film, “Shield and Spear,” examined freedom of expression in South Africa.

Ringbom’s films have screened at Tribeca, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Hot Docs, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Gothenburg International Film Festival, and Moscow International Film Festival. He has been a Film Independent Fellow, a Gotland Film Lab Resident at the Ingmar Bergman Estate, and a Berlinale Talent. Ringbom is a founding partner of Opendox, the production company behind “The New Bauhaus.”

Executive Producer, Marquise Stillwell:

Recognizing the power of storytelling to create empathy, Marquise Stillwell co-founded the film production company Opendox, where he serves as executive producer. Prior to The New Bauhaus he has collaborated with director Petter Ringbom on several other documentaries including Shield and Spear, Unspoken, and a number of short films bringing to light untold stories of community and design. Marquise serves as a board member for the Lowline Underground Park, Stae, Artmatr, and Urban Ocean Lab. He is also a member of the High Line Advisory Committee.