The Unfettered Gaze. The Rasch Brothers and Their Influence on Modern Architecture

From 1926 to 1930 Heinz (1902-1996) and Bodo Rasch (1903-1995) was a highly creative team of architects, furniture designers, typographers and book designers. The brothers were early "networkers", providing a visionary source of ideas which they developed in a rash of projects as major protagonists of the New Architecture. Their early suspended dwellings and bold ideas for modular or air inflated house constructions are unique in 20th century architectural history. This publication focuses on a selection of their early work in the MoMA in New York and the CCA in Montreal and yields insights into the brother's collaboration. The selection is augmented by container, suspended and pneumatic architecture by more than 20 famous architectural firms like Archigram, Egon Eiermann, Foster + Partners, COOP HIMMELB(L)AU, Bertrand Goldberg, Kengo Kuma et al, which in turn place the great creative potential of the Rasch brothers in a new light. In addition five contemporary artists discover their inspiring moments in a current context and establish new relationships between ideas from the past and visions for the future.