In 1928, Bauhaus director Hannes Meyer argued that
design was the result of ‘function x economy’ and was almost completely influenced by
science rather than art.
For someone that lives in today's age of consumerism, I could not possibly agree with his view that design is influenced by science rather than art. In order to evoke a desire for an object, design's art-science seesaw can't be tipped entirely one way or another. No single aspect is responsible for design but instead it is the combination of these that dictate the final result; each must be considered. Yet at the same time good design demands science to be prioritised before art, else design would not fulfill function.
The Bauhaus is the perfect example of the combination of arts and technology (science), it was itself a “consolidation of Weimar’s Academy of Fine Arts and the city’s Arts and Crafts School” (Raizman, 2004) making it draw upon areas from both the fine art side and crafting side. As Walter Gropius said earlier in 1919, “Architects, sculptors, painters, we all must return to the crafts! ...Let us create a new guild of craftsmen without the class distinctions that raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist."(Gropius, 1919). What I take from this quote is that a union between science and art becomes successful once the machine is understood, and therefore materials, processes and aesthetics can be maximized and controlled. I believe it is this synergy that designers must master.
For someone that lives in today's age of consumerism, I could not possibly agree with his view that design is influenced by science rather than art. In order to evoke a desire for an object, design's art-science seesaw can't be tipped entirely one way or another. No single aspect is responsible for design but instead it is the combination of these that dictate the final result; each must be considered. Yet at the same time good design demands science to be prioritised before art, else design would not fulfill function.
The Bauhaus is the perfect example of the combination of arts and technology (science), it was itself a “consolidation of Weimar’s Academy of Fine Arts and the city’s Arts and Crafts School” (Raizman, 2004) making it draw upon areas from both the fine art side and crafting side. As Walter Gropius said earlier in 1919, “Architects, sculptors, painters, we all must return to the crafts! ...Let us create a new guild of craftsmen without the class distinctions that raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist."(Gropius, 1919). What I take from this quote is that a union between science and art becomes successful once the machine is understood, and therefore materials, processes and aesthetics can be maximized and controlled. I believe it is this synergy that designers must master.
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| Grete Schutte-Ligotzky's scientifically managed kitchen. |
What has gone here is design's art-science seesaw has fallen on the science side. Meyer's vision, exemplified in Ligotzky's kitchen, lacks art. It lacks life, soul, colour, aesthetics and an emotive connection. Though we have taken much from this revolutionary kitchen, I am glad we live in a world where aesthetics are always considered, even in the most practical of kitchens.
Raizman, D. (2003). The “First Machine Age” in Europe. History of Modern Design. New Jersey, United States: Prentice Hall Art.
