Monday May 21, 2007

The New Bauhaus

by T.Scott Stromberg in Design

1 comment

Since college I have had an increasing interest in history, especially art history. One of the most influential and thought provoking of my studies has been that of the Bauhaus design philosophy.

The Bauhaus (which in German means “Architecture House”) was an art and architecture school first established in Weimer, Germany in 1919. It’s founder Walter Gropius wished to create a school where craftsmen could commune and work together to create design excellence. In his initial declaration he states.

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... similarly happy partnership might re-emerge as practiced in the medieval “lodges,” where numerous related artist-craftsmen — architects, sculptors, and craftsmen of all grades — came together in a homogenous spirit and humbly contributed their independent work to the common tasks resting upon them. This was done out of respect for the unity of a mutual idea which inspired them and the meaning of which they understood.

Source: “Recommendations for the founding of an Educational Institution as an Artistic Counseling Service for Industry, the Trades, and the Crafts” in Wingler, Bauhaus (note 4), p.23. From “Teaching at the Bauhaus”, Rainer K. Wick p.31.

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The foundation of the Bauhaus pedagogy, aka Bauhaus style of instruction, came down to two primary goals: aesthetic synthesis and social synthesis. Aesthetic synthesis was created through the integration of all genres of art and crafts through architecture. Social synthesis would be obtained by orienting the aesthetic production of all end products around the over-arching needs of the broader segment of the population.

Download: Geniant_UXD.pdf

One thing I found interesting when I interviewed with Geniant was that I was shown a diagram that describes the various competencies and how they interrelate with each other. I was quite impressed with the way the diagram thoughtfully explains how various competencies interact and overlap. The second thought I had was how similar this diagram was to those that I had come across describing the Bauhaus Pedagogy. I took it as a positive sign of things to come.

Since coming onboard with Geniant there is not a day that goes by that I am not mesmerized by the quality of work, associates, and the varying competencies available within the Geniant team. It is very much like the “lodges of craftsmen” that Walter Gropius lauded in his original declaration.

On a recent project I have had the opportunity to pair with another Information Architect from our studio. Since my background is in graphic design I tend to come at projects from a visual design perspective. My associate comes at projects from a development background since his skill set is anchored in front-end development. The cool thing is both of us share a common language through our shared competencies in information architecture.

It’s a win-win situation: By pairing information architects our clients get increased production and we get the opportunity to cross train as we team on deliverables. It seems the philosophies and pedagogies of the Bauhaus have not been lost in history.

Thus on your next project it might prove beneficial if you seek out peers with varying backgrounds for collaboration, develop your own pedagogy, and craft some interesting and beneficial work. Who knows…maybe you can create the next incarnation of the Bauhaus?

Comments on “The New Bauhaus”

1. Jef Newsom said:

   Very interesting. I am glad to see you blogging, and I am especially glad to see you are enjoying your new home !

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