Blog assignment 8

Walter Gropius was the Bauhaus’ schools first director when it opened in 1919. “He supported artistic freedom and individuality rather than the imposition of typical standardized forms”. (Raizman, 2004, pg. 181) Whereas Hannes Meyer, the Swiss-born architect who took over as director in 1928, argued that “design was synonymous with man-made things and was a product of “function x economy”. His views placed design solely in the service of working-class needs based upon objective standards of economy”. (Raizman, 2004, pg. 187)


I disagree with Meyers view that design is a product of “function x economy”. I believe that design is a product of many more things that may include function and economy but don’t rely on purely those two. Design can be a product of politics, science, society and their trends and technology. I agree that there should be “a balance between the universal and the individual” (Raizman, 2004, pg. 167) and with Gropius and Johannes Ittens views of artistic freedom.

The Hous am Horn (in the above photo) was created by the student body of the Bauhaus after World War 1 when there were housing shortages. It looks at the average worker and analyses tasks and movements around rooms in the home, such as the kitchen, to be more rational. It added an element of “science” and design standards based on considerations of human factors. I think this “science” is a big part of design today, especially as new technology is being developed.  We cannot design without looking at human ergonomics therefore design is "science". But design shouldn't be labelled an “art” or a “science”. I believe it is both. Today we have moved into designing for mainly the “universal” to keep up with new technology but there is still an art and craft in design where we see individuality and “artistic freedom”.

Raizman, D. (2004). The First Machine Age in Europe, in History of Modern Design (pp. 166-191) New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc.