The two-day conference, held as part of the exhibition “Metaxy : Between Destruction and Reconstruction”, will examine the international media reception of post-war modernism during the Cold War through a programme of lectures, discussions, lecture-performances and a film programme, highlighting perspectives from both East and West.

Cover of Casabella magazine: in the top third, a photo of the Brandenburg Gate with the word “Berlino”; in the center, the word “Casabella”; in the bottom third, a photo of the Brandenburg Gate, damaged by war — First thematic issue on West and East Berlin in Italy: *Casabella Continuità*, 1964, No. 288, cover page

The international conference “In the View of Others: Berlin. The International Discourse on European Post-war Modernism” focuses on the international media reception of post-war modernism during the Cold War – taking as its starting point media coverage of the Karl-Marx-Allee in former East Berlin and the buildings of the 1957 Interbau exhibition in former West Berlin.

Two country roads intersect, with fields between them; in the background are the houses of a village; in the foreground is a cross with a figure of Christ, and next to it is a pedestal with a figure — In the middle of Bukovina
Photo: © Alex Bykov, 2019

Architectural and urban history has generally used the formation of political blocs after the Second World War as a key frame of reference for analysing the debates on reconstruction in post-war modernism. This approach, however, has overlooked the question of the extent to which prominent reconstruction projects were also received across bloc boundaries, and the extent to which they contributed to the respective discourses on modernism in architecture and urban planning in the countries under consideration.

The research project, funded by the Berlin Heritage Authority from February 2023 until June 2025, has produced a comprehensive overview of cross-bloc reporting on Karl-Marx-Allee I and II and the Interbau. Research was carried out in ten countries for this purpose. For the Western “bloc”, the USA, England, France, Italy and Denmark were selected. The “Eastern Bloc” comprises the USSR, Poland and Hungary; Sweden and Yugoslavia represent the non-aligned and neutral states.

Extensive research was carried out in specialist journals, daily newspapers and contemporary publications for each of these countries. The conference papers present the findings of this research, some of which are highly surprising. The academic presentations are complemented by a film programme curated by Florian Wüst and a lecture-performance by the Ukrainian group DENEDE.

A project by the research group comprising Dr Sandra Wagner-Conzelmann, Dr Thomas Flierl, Dr Paul Sigel and Robert K. Huber, in cooperation with the Architecture Section of the Akademie der Künste

Funded by and in cooperation with the Wüstenrot Foundation and the Berlin Heritage Authority

In the View of Others: BerlinThe International Discourse on European Post-war Modernism6 – 7 Nov 2026

In the View of Others: Berlin
The International Discourse on European Post-war Modernism
6 – 7 Nov 2026