Minimalist Architecture
„Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.“
- Rabbi Hyman Schachtel
We live in a time in which we are used to owning many objects, we always buy more and more. We stuff our our wardrobes with clothes, our kitchens with groceries, our houses with furniture and our minds with stress. There are so many things around us that we end up not actually seeing as they camouflage in the crowd of other objects. Materiality has overtaken the world. As minimalist Joshua Becker said "Modern culture has bought into the lie that the good life is found in accumulating things-in possessing as much as possible. They believe that more is better and have inadvertently subscribed to the idea that happiness can be purchased at a department store.“ We believe owning an object we have wished for has the power to make us happy, but unfortunately we never end up truly happy by chasing our desires of materiality. The satisfaction of owning an item is usually not only temporary but simply false. Majority of us people choose to live in that cycle.
Minimalism can not just be found in Architecture, Art and Design, but it is also a Lifestyle in itself. It makes you aware of your surroundings and appreciate the few things you have. Minimalists strongly believe that ones actions and thoughts become much clearer when applying the rules of this lifestyle to oneself. The following essay will discover the roots of minimalism which can be drawn back to Japanese traditional design, which has been highly impacted by zen-buddhism and the concept of Wabi-Sabi. It will more importantly tackle the question on how those concepts have inspired modern Architecture and Design.
Traditional Japanese Design
In traditional Japanese architecture simplicity is the key component. A room is being filled with necessary objects only, shapes and colours are also being held very simple. Some might say the room is empty but in reality it is a mindful space in which small detail is being appreciated, the light, the air, scents and sounds increase in their impact. Minimalism has been taken from Japanese traditional Zen Philosophy.
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Zen can best be described as „the state of mediative immersion“. When mediating, also known as “Zazen”, pure being is the focus. The goal is to let go of oneself, let go of one’s negative - and positive - thoughts by simply thinking nothing and instead learn to feel the environment and surroundings. Besides that, Zen monks apply the knowledge of “Chisoku” into their daily life, which is realising that a person is not able to own everything, instead one needs to be happy and satisfied with the current belongings. This Idealism is reflected in modern minimalism. Consciously reducing unneeded objects it is believed to achieve an inner peace of mind. The “Karesansui” translated as Zen garden might be the best example for Zen Buddhism as it is quite popular around the globe.
The garden sustains of mostly small to medium-sized objects, such as boulders, moss and raked gravel or sand. It is important for the boulders arranged as naturally as possible. Around the rocks there is always a formation of green moss. Between the moss islands is then the gravel or sand, which is raked by the monks under highest concentration into lines, wave patterns or geometric forms. The idea behind imitating waves in gravel or sand is that it allows the viewer more freedom for interpretation.
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This perfection in imperfection is mostly known as Wabi-Sabi in Japan. Different to our Western ideal of beauty, which is based on geometry and perfect symmetry, this concept states that the imperfect and the natural are particularly beautiful. The focus lays especially on symbols for the beautiful ageing of objects such as the mossy rock, metal objects with a patina, the irregularly shaped tea bowl. Also broken crockery, which is repaired by the “Kintsugi” method, is a Wabi-Sabi technique. The idea of Wabi-Sabi is not only found in objects, but is also a way of thinking that is reflected in the recognition of imperfect beauty.
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Impact on Modern Architecture
The Japanese culture and their traditions had a large impact on modern architecture. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright is probably one of the best examples in this topic as he has highly admired the Japanese traditions, studied them, learned from them and successfully reflected this knowledge in his own works. His first visit in the country happened in 1905, later again in 1913 until he dedicated almost three full years between 1917 to 1922 being the architect of the New Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
Wright’s admiration for Japan was not just focused on the design. It was much more than that, his interest extended on a large variety of arts and culture. In his own words he once described it as “the most romantic, artistic, nature-inspired country on earth.”
It is known that Frank Lloyd Wright’s favourite Japanese artist was the widely known Katsushika Hokusai. Besides world-famous paintings, Hokusai had also released simple sketches which show how silhouettes of living shapes can be laid out into minimalistic mechanical forms. Even though Wright claims to not have taken inspiration from this Idea and instead saw it as confirmation to his own idealism, he created “organic” architectural plans using this technique of overlapping geometric forms. It was most definitely a groundbreaking action back when designing was typically based on axes and grids.
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Hokusai’s Ryakuga Haya-oshie
Wright’s Ralph Jester House Plan
1812-1815
1938
Being one of the most famous architects of all time, Wright has laid out the path to modern architecture in America. His modern architecture is known as one of the most important works of the past 100 years. Wright successfully achieved to create spaces which interact with nature and the environment, yet managed to keep his architecture minimalistic and harmonious. A great example would be also his most popular building, “Falling water” which is located in Pennsylvania. A very special architectural piece and groundbreaking to modern architecture. Purposely Wright has left a part of the mountain intersect into the living space while still offering a comfortable design. His goal was to awake peoples consciousness towards the environment, very similar to his previous observations in Japan. Minimalism has been a knowledge he took serious in his life and when talking about his architecture he said:
„Five lines where three are enough is stupidity. Nine pounds where three are sufficient is stupidity. But to eliminate expressive words that intensify or vivify meaning in speaking or writing is not simplicity; nor is similar elimination in architecture simplicity—. In architecture, expressive changes of surface, emphasis of line, and especially textures of material, may go to make facts eloquent—forms more significant….To know what to leave out and what to put in, just where and just how—ah, that is to have been educated in knowledge of simplicity.“ A statement which pretty much rounds up the whole topic from Japanese traditional design to modern architecture and minimalism. In conclusion, the Japanese culture and their traditions had a heavy impact on several architectural pieces in modern architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright has only been one example out of many Architects that found more than personal interest in the country and successfully transmitted specific observations and historical traditions into masterpieces around the globe. Having a specific focus on Nature and one’s surroundings, Minimalism has the power to influence our well-being and is still very popular in Design and Architecture. Nowadays, Minimalism can be found in many
architectural pieces and is frequently used by the newest generation of architects. Simply because it is believed to be a technique and knowledge which does not just grow old, it continues being popular and successful. Especially learning about the background of Minimalism and Japan gives the topic depth and inspires to adapt cultural traditions into Architecture. The connection between the subjects which in the beginning may seem very different, turns out to indeed be very close.
Reference List:
https://medium.com/@njbailey/minimalism-buddhism-and-the-ties-between-thetwo-1adac846aac0
https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-minimalism-definition/
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1041178
https://www.modularclosets.com/blogs/themodule/minimalism-zen-and-simplicity-indesign-a-movement-that-changed-the-world
https://zenhabits.net/on-minimalism/
https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-minimalism-definition/
https://franklloydwright.org/frank-lloyd-wright-and-japan/ Kevin Nute, 1993, Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan Alan Weintraub, 2009, Frank Lloyd Wright - American Master Joshua becker, 2017, minimalism is freedom from the passion to possess section, para. 1
Photos: 1: https://pin.it/bk7rcdhwdw26kf 2: https://pin.it/sbcl72o7jznlsi 3: https://pin.it/idkgjxf3smjzuq 4: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10062131_150-shoji-hamada-1894-1978-japan 5: https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/1477812361616434/ 6: http://theconversation.com/frank-lloyd-wrights-japanese-education-78380