The tenth CIAM congress, held in Dubrovnik in the summer of 1956, was one of the key moments in the history of modern architecture and urbanism.
It was the last official meeting of the Congrès Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne, a world organization of architects focused on influencing the theories and methods of urbanization across the globe.
Planned from the outset as the end of a particular era and the beginning of something else, which was to be determined precisely at the Dubrovnik congress, this CIAM meeting is of particular historical importance. However, its real meaning, role, impact, and consequences need yet to be fully examined, as the Dubrovnik congress has not yet been thoroughly researched, certainly not as earlier CIAM meetings. The goal of the Living CIAM X research project is therefore to launch a new investigation into this important event, researching not only what was discussed sixty years ago, but also how that discussion was itself structured, by an institution with an increasing awareness of its own history and modes of practice.
Work on Living CIAM X will begin through a symposium, planned for October 26 to the 29, 2016, which will bring together a group of international scholars with expertise on the subject at the site of the congress, Dubrovnik’s Umjetnička galerija (Art Gallery). The symposium will be accompanied by an exhibition, drawing on material from archives in Rotterdam, Zurich and Boston. This research will also evolve into a documentary film and a major publication on CIAM X.
Read more about CIAM X here.
