Transmodern Forum – PO·MO·STROIKA – Postmodern Theories, Practices and Histories in Central and Eastern Europe

Po·mo·stroika was a three-day long program, architecture conference and related event series, took place in 17-19 May 2018 in Berlin, focusing on postmodernism in Central and Eastern Europe. With the recent renaissance of the postmodern phenomena, a direct consequence of the global economical and environmental crisis in parallel to the devaluation of the traditional communication formats, the conference offered a timely re-examination of local heritage and an overview on current research topics in the region.

po·mo·stroika was based on the conviction that provincial character traits elevate Central and Eastern European postmodernism to a unique state. In most countries of the region (with notable exceptions like Romania), departure from state approved modernism also meant a slow but explicit draw apart from state ideologies, ultimately from centralization, control and authority. While in the so-called West, an omnipresent ideal of comparison, the failure of the modernist utopia and rediscovery of Classical forms meant a new surge of interest towards stability, security and strength, in Central and Eastern Europe this often meant the opposite: exploration of the unkown and unusal. Later, after 1989 postmodernism became openly associated with the rise of capitalism and the promise of democratic transformation.

The rise of this communicative architecture meant the rise of alternative practices, forums, communities and channels. In a certain way, postmodernism might be more of a social phenomenon in Central and Eastern Europe than elsewhere, as in one way or another, the whole society participated in creating its background. Authoritarian strength crumbled and gave place to an aesthetic where chaos, mistake and entropy claimed their own place.

Mess was more.

po·mo·stroika discussed regional and national characteristics of postmodern architecture, visual and spatial culture, urbanism and design, as well as the influence and impact of the changing political and societal systems of Central and Eastern Europe in the 1980-1990s. The conference offers a special accent on Post-Modern thinking and practice in today’s architecture, the influence of the Post-Modern movement on today’s practice as well with lecturers from contemporary practitioners.

po·mo·stroika was a forum, a dialogue and a platform.