Germany has contributed immensely to the human intellectual and cultural capital throughout the ages. Right away one is reminded of Einstein ; arguably the greatest scientific mind ever. Emmanuel Kant; Hegel; Nietzsche and Arthur Schopenhauer are indisputably the pillars of modern philosophy. It would not be amiss to add Karl Marx to the list as well.
Bertolt Brecht; Goethe; Franz Kafka; Friedrich Schiller and Guntur Grass are well known luminaries of world literature. Any reference to classical music would be incomplete without mentioning Beethoven; Bach; Brahms; Wagner and Mendelssohn. Each name is literally carved on the list of great world composers.
You might have guessed my fascination with the German intellect. Fact is that most of my own work ethic and design language is highly inspired by it. I have learned immensely by working on projects in Germany and I am quite indebted to those opportunities !
Bauhaus, which literally translates as 'construct house' was a German design movement during early part of the twentieth century. It was not limited to architecture but extended to interior design, furniture design; typography and graphics as well. Actually there is a font called Bauhaus too. Just do not tell anyone that I dislike it! This movement believed in rational; functional aesthetic and simple clean lines with nothing superfluous or ornamental . Form followed function. This was nothing short of revolutionary and maybe the most important advance in the theory of design - ever.
Architect Walter Gropius established this school of design ! Nazi Germany had sadly other ideas. They promoted classic ostentation. Bauhaus's aesthetic was considered an effeminate sparsity. Obviously it ran afoul of the Nazi understanding of what constitutes a master race Germanic design. They brutally shut it down. Walter sailed for safety of the US shores!
"To be or not to be", Shakespeare asked this fundamental question in his play Hamlet. Should one continue living and face the harsh vicissitudes that living entails or end it once for all and be at peace ! Existential question indeed!
Walter added a principle for the living: "less is more"! Essentially it means that focusing on fewer quality activities will lead to beauty, meaning and effectiveness. What more can we do? What ought to be less? To paraphrase Hamlet- more or less, that is the question!
Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe actually applied it in several fields of design including architecture and has been immensely successful. Some times this kind of work is referred to as minimalism. Personally I do not like that term. It somehow feels miserly ; like an pejorative. As if some elements are missing on purpose ! Actually a design that follows "less is more"; is complete in all aspects. In fact there is nothing there that is not required to be there - simple!
More recently architect Richard Meir; a Pritzker prize winner, has designed several iconic buildings which I feel adhere to "Less is more" rule. I like his clean , crisp, white and sharp work immensely. I am a visual artist and an exhibition designer primarily so I will not comment on the architectural details. Purely in visual terms I can easily see a direct connection in his elevations with Bauhaus school of design. Diametrically different from other contemporary stalwarts like Frank Gehry or a Zaha Hadid for that matter.
IKEA understood the potential. They bring clean design to good people. Walk into a store and you can see 'less is more' applied to industrial design with a Nordic flavour. In my experience public loves the offerings and is very receptive of the practical beauty of no nonsense Swedish design. I personally have several items, from furniture to cutlery and floor covering to lights that I really love.
Can we apply this mantra in our day to day life? Yes; more Biophilic design! I know ,I know sometimes there are unnecessary big words! Do not let it dissuade you. All it means is a design that nourishes your relationship with the natural elements. Simply put green space, plant life and natural elements need to have an expanded role in public spaces, interiors and architecture. It is being done extensively in the west; Where they are not so desperately in need of it. They are doing it because it should be done! How about India?
You may have heard of Peter Singh and Nino Kaur. This couple have achieved an indoor AQI of 10 ; when the outside numbers are north of frighteningly toxic 500. This is in Delhi of course. This couple reside in Sainik farms, where they grow fruits and vegetables organically in their green house using innovative techniques like hydroponics. They have created their own sustainable and nourishing micro environment. More green equals less pollution. Apparently they even make a pretty penny by selling what produce they can not consume.
I know what you are thinking! Not everyone can afford to live in Sainik farms. If you have a roof you can start an urban farm at a very low cost; about INR 5,000. There are several people that have done it already and some are willing to help too. If you prefer there is an entity called Living Greens that claims to have set up 4000 such farms in 25 different cities. If you have no access to roof, there are balconies and if all else fails there are indoor plants. Snake plant; available easily is one of best options to improve indoor air quality and who has not heard of money plant ( Pothos Jade) and ferns. All great choices. The thing is we must make more of an effort and depend less on some messiah to come relieve us of pollution. Imagine if everyone did what they can......
When nothing is going my way I always remember my Grand Father for inspiration. So in his last days he was bed ridden and clearly no hope of getting well. He wanted to read Ramayan ; a scripture in Hindi script that he did not know how to. He asked one of my uncles to read it to him. After a few times My grand dad realized he is wasting his son's study time by not asking him to stop recitation for upwards of an hour. He decided that his son will stop reading to him, instead he will teach him the script every day for half an hour. He passed soon after and I am not aware what progress he made in his learning before leaving this world. Missed asking my uncle , who has passed too! But this was a man that never flinched from doing the right thing; never stopped improving; never gave up ; never wallowed in grief at his dire circumstances and remained fair to people around him even at a personal cost . He knew what to do less and what more is apt. I wish life gave me more time to learn from him.
There are other examples if we care to look closer to present times. Indian Idol's season 16 is on air. A contestant Abhishek Kumar is doing very well. If you look closely you can literally see his impoverished circumstances. You can see his working class background with father a street food seller. You can see his ordinary dress; cheap glasses and small town demeanour. No, none of it matters. He has put less stress on what limits him and focussed more on what elevates him - his music. He is providing meaning to his life. He is talent rich and achieving his goals. What more do you want from life?
If ever in doubt, just remember to focus on what you do best and leave the rest. Act; doing nothing gets you nothing. Less is more!
