Werner Ruhnau

German architect Werner Ruhnau's work presages the kind of interdisciplinary and collaborative practice popular among contemporary artists and designers. Architect of the groundbreaking Gelsenkirchen Musical Theatre (1959), which he designed in tandem with artists Yves Klein, Jean Tinguely, Robert Adams, Paul Dierkes and Norbert Kricke, Ruhnau was also an active theater director. This engagingly designed volume, published on the occasion of Ruhnau's eighty-fifth birthday, delivers the very first comprehensive compendium of his work. The concepts introduced here are tied together in an interview with Ruhnau that examines the arc and process of his fascinating 50-year career--from the 1950s "Bauhutte" (shed) concept, which stresses the importance of community in architectural planning, to more recent projects, some of which have never been published. German theorist and artist Bazon Brock, who is himself known for working in a variety of fields and media, contributes an essay. Published in association with Stadt Gelsenkirchen/M: AI.Lehmann-Kopp, Dorothee is the author of 'Werner Ruhnau', published 2008 under ISBN 9783939633136 and ISBN 3939633135.