Minimaalne

Description:
Presenting a wide range of images embodying the themes of reduction and of clarity through austerity, Minimum draws inspiration from the same sources that have shaped the designs and ideas of objects and buildings for millennia. The book both embodies and presents a sequence of ideas that have influenced John Pawson and other artists in their search for simplicity. Minimum is a visual essay by a well-known architect, both expressing and embodying the ideas of reduction, of simplicity, of austerity and of repetition. The pages reveal stark but beautiful images of architecture and engineering, of ceramics and furniture, of photography and works of art, from many periods and cultures, that all combine to express the idea of simplicity. As the author explains in his introduction, these ideas find expression in art and design and have their beginnings in the realms of religious and philosophical convictions. The austerity of a Cistercian monastery or the simplicity of a Zen garden are both emanations of the same urge to reduce, to make clear, to unburden. Through a sequence of carefully orchestrated pictures, this book clarifies the way in which this mode of thinking has inspired the work of artists and architects from Ancient Egypt to contemporary Japan. Minimum is a work of art in its own right. Its design and production values help to reinforce the ideas of the author, creating an extraordinarily beautiful and desirable book, now available in a paperback edition that represents excellent value for money.

Review:
''A searching discourse on the appeal of minimalism' (Financial Times); 'A book to inspire its owner to throw out all others' (I-D)'

Table of Contents:
Eleven chapters: Mass, Light, Structure, Ritual, Landscape, Order, Containment, Repetition, Volume, Essence and expression. Eight-page introduction by John Pawson, list of plates, bibliography and index.

Author Biography:
Born in Halifax, Yorkshire, John Pawson studied at the Architectural Association after working in the family textile business and teaching in Japan. His career to date spans a wide variety of projects, from a compact apartment for the writer Bruce Chatwin to Calvin Klein's flagship store in Manhattan, airport lounges for Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong and a number of art galleries. In addition to a series of private houses, current commissions include a new Cistercian monastery in Bohemia.