Vision and Responsibility

The founding act of the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) in Offenbach am Main in 1970 outlined a vision of anticipating forces in the education of students that would shape a political and ethical awareness with the aim of taking responsibility for the restructuring of society, its humanisation, liberation from rationality of purpose, power calculations and alienation.

The book 1970 HfG, recently edited by Kai Vöckler and Marc Ries, traces the debates surrounding 1970 in this regard, both the debate within the institution about the school’s reorientation and the historical context, and poses the question of where we stand today in relation to the goals declared at the time. To this end, interviews were conducted with contemporary witnesses, as well as contributions focussing on the institutional reorientation, architecture, type design, experimental design and design research.

We shall see these as ‘teasers’, using our knowledge of the historical epochs and conflicts to enquire about the balance sheet of social development fifty years later, whether we have actually moved on today from the goals and visions declared at the time.

The book launch will take place on 20 November 2024, 6 pm in the HfG library, Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach am Main, University of Art and Design, Schloßstraße 31, 63065 Offenbach am Main, main building 3rd floor.

Prof. Dr Kai Vöckler, Professor of Urban Design and Prof. em. Dr Marc Ries, former Professor of Media Theory will be in conversation with HfG President Prof. Dr Brigitte Franzen, Chancellor Dr Susanne Eickemeier, Typography Professor Johanna Siebein, Klaus Staudt, former Sculpture Professor and Dagmar Steffen, HfG alumna and former lecturer.

Vision und Verantwortung – Zur Gründung der HfG Offenbach 1970
Hg. Marc Ries, Kai Vöckler
ISBN: 978-3-89986-416-8
Language: german
Release: October 2024