Timely teaching — fostering public and professional awareness and action

This paper discusses the pedagogies of Docomomo by looking at two interrelated Docomomo-Israel events: the conference Ideal(istic) Education (2016) and the exhibition that followed it: Timely Teaching (2018–2019). In 2016, Docomomo Israel organized a conference for academics and professionals. This project was then transformed and shared with the general public, by producing an exhibition and a Hebrew-language edited book based on new research presented at the conference. The exhibition and the catalog were central to mediating appreciation of modern architecture to the public. Looking at these projects, we argue that Docomomo’s activities can be effectively disseminated beyond the West, in lesser-explored geographies, by 1) identifying local cultural connections for modern architecture; 2) revealing the Modern Movement’s place within national built heritage and 3) approaching publics in their native language. As with many countries, modern architecture in Israel is depreciated in comparison to its ancient built environments. Apart from Tel-Aviv’s UNESCO-listed architecture, most of the modern movement’s sites and gems are only beginning to be publicly recognized. The three goals set by the local Docomomo chapter were realized by discussing and presenting the theme of architecture for education, with which the public is closely familiar through personal or familial functions. The conference, edited volume and exhibition held by Docomomo, were all produced in Hebrew, so that the public could share and participate. Finally, this central aspect of local modern heritage was presented in Germany, hence promoting and underscoring the need for worldwide cooperation among Docomomo branches.