Inspired by the legacy of Lucia Moholy, the students of the Design Degree at ESDI have documented a year of life at the school through a photographic project that transforms spaces, processes and everyday moments into a living visual archive, built from the perspective of those who inhabit ESDI every day.
Photography is much more than a snapshot; it is an act of thought. Inspired by the fascinating legacy of Lucia Moholy, whose vision was a cornerstone in constructing the visual identity of the Bauhaus, our students in the Design Theory and History II course of the Bachelor’s Degree in Design spent the 2025-2026 academic year pausing time to capture the essence of our institution. The photographer maintained that images are “irreplaceable documents that could be extremely useful; now more than ever” [1]. This usefulness transcends mere recording, since, as Susan Sontag states, “to photograph is to appropriate what is photographed,” thus establishing a relationship with the world that becomes a real form of knowledge and power [2].
Under this premise, this project has transformed our daily lives into a living archive, eschewing superficiality to seek the authenticity of our shared space. As Moholy stated, the purpose of these images was “to fix the present so that it may serve the future as a trace of our existence” [3]. By documenting every corner and every process, the students have demonstrated that “photography is not a mere copy of nature” [4], but a reflective gaze that builds memory. For the first time since ESDI’s founding in the late 1980s, the students themselves have taken on the challenge of being the eyes of the school. By emulating Lucia Moholy’s mastery, they have not only created an unprecedented historical archive, but have also given a “visual voice” to a community that, at last, recognizes itself through its own talent.
We invite you to experience this journey where photography and design intertwine: an invitation to discover the work of our students, to recognize ourselves in their perspective, and to become an active part of the heartbeat of our school. Click on the image to access the Google Photos album with all the photographs.
THE ALBUM
Credits:
Curated and written by: Dr. Marcela Lucci
Editing assistance: Georgina Bargalló, Eva Español García, Isabel López i Domínguez, Sara Moreno, Paula Reyes, Unai Rosell, students and second-year student of the Degree in Design.
References:
[1] Moholy, L. “Letter to Walter Gropius” (1954). Cited in Schuldenfrei, R. (2009). “Images in Exile: Lucia Moholy’s Bauhaus Negatives,” in Bauhaus Construct: Fashioning Identity. Routledge.
[2] Sontag, S. (2006). On Photography. Debolsillo Publishing.
[3] Moholy, L. Personal correspondence and writings on the Dessau documentation (Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin).
[4] Moholy, L. (1939). A Hundred Years of Photography, 1839–1939. Penguin Books.