Simply, Simple!
If I could call it fascination, or even a belief. Before starting to scribble my statement- that was my standpoint about minimalism, its name has been always linked to the most famous architects and designers. Mies van der Rohe, Tadao Ando, Alvaro Aalto, Peter Zumthor you name it. They say their architecture is pure minimalism, who dares to say it isn’t?
In this big world, you could meet two kinds of people, those fascinated by complexity, colors, and those fascinated by simplicity, black and white – and maybe some colors! I fall into the second.
Simplicity is defined in the dictionary as the fact of something that is easy to understand or do: this is a black circle, it is simple, however. A black circle in art and design means minimal. Which is explained in the dictionary as a style in art, design, and theatre that uses the smallest range of materials and colors possible, and only very simple shapes or forms, In that sense how does simplicity relate to minimalism? and is minimalism simple?
I believe that minimalism can be hard to understand – sometimes, since it’s more about reducing an object, or a building to its essential elements, in other words getting rid of unnecessary elements, that could perhaps become abstract, and difficult to understand, in that sense, simple is easy and obvious. For instance, the Zollverein School of Management and Design, designed by SANAA1, is simple, a simple building, where you see a big cube with small squarish windows, which is at the same time minimal, and according to what has been said earlier, the building is reduced to its minimal, essential elements. Four walls, and a roof.
My interpretation of the two definitions leans more towards the fact that simplicity is the process of translating a product into minimalism. Where in fact, the process of a minimal product is complex and very thoughtful! The idea of the cube came from a series of the design process and testing. As Douglas Horton2 says “The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity. “
Therefore simplicity would be the image of the delivered product. For instance, Domus Aurea house designed by Campo Baeza3, a cubical, white shape, creating a clear connection between the two sides of the house, allowing a great amount of light inside throughout the patio, engages a feeling of serenity, in which the whitish color enhances the peacefulness and the tranquility of the space. All based on a simple geometric shape. Isn’t it simple? I believe it is. Simple is clear and appeases the eye. However, is it minimal? We may argue about that later!
From the beginning of 1960, minimalism set up its rules and took its place, from where it is surprisingly still invading the world more and more, although we don’t know its basic rules. I don’t! Do you? Minimalism comes in different aspects, through abstraction, complexity, simplicity, geometric shapes, and basic colors, although one clear thing about it, it is personal and it doesn’t hurt!
Instead of adding and showing more, you keep the essential, which could turn out to be an abstraction and there simplicity leaves the room, in that case, and if minimalism has no rules but clear aspects, simplicity should be subject to rules as well, as though they are indeed different. “The laws of simplicity “a book was written by John Maeda4, that talks about the principles of simplicity, as follow: “reduction, organization, knowledge, simplicity, and complexity need each other, What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral, more emotions, Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful”.
From that point, if X is minimalism and Y is simplicity are sharing complexity (A), meaningfulness (B), reduction (C), which means that :
X=Y= (A+ B+C)- [( W+ Z+ P.. the rest of the alphabet ), which is the rest of the aspect that minimalism and simplicity don’t share ], and here is where minimalism becomes simplicity!
On the other hand, nowadays, everyone is talking about minimalism, either they already live with it or want to be a minimalist, until it has lost its real meaning, we start to see it, and hear it everywhere. As Frank Lloyd Wright5 says “As we live and as we are, Simplicity - with a capital “S” - is difficult to comprehend nowadays. We are no longer truly simple. We no longer live in simple terms or places. Life is a more complex struggle now. It is now valiant to be simple: a courageous thing to even want to be simple. It is a spiritual thing to comprehend what simplicity means”.
Minimalism became bluff-malism, even the brands and the products that were famous for their pure minimalism lost as well their minimal identity and become generic, minimalism ( when it is equal to simplicity ) is unique, special, and often is out of the stock!
I believe that the way we see minimalism has to change, it has to be detached from the very abstract overpriced branding concept. Let’s put it in this example, are social housings minimal? not they are not. Do you think if they were minimal, they would be affordable? No, they would not.
And here where I assume that proper minimalism is not there yet, especially in the countries where the money comes first, and extra comfort comes later, I’m not going to argue on this one. (But don’t worry I will be back to the other point we left up). And that is why only rich people – with high taste can afford and have the opportunity to get this experience. Even in photography and art are sold for thousands and thousands of euros, for instance, the black hole of Anish Kapoor is only a black hole, very abstract piece of art, that deep down has a lot of meaning.
Minimalism is not a cheap concept and will never be. Do you know why? Because what is simple and appeases the eye is not easy to design. There are so many architecture offices in this big world, however few of them are subject to thoughtful, minimal/ simple design, it’s a subjective point of view that you may not agree with me about it; these minimal architecture offices you don’t see them everywhere, they don’t have generic projects, and dare always to create the unique beautiful architecture piece, my favorite Monadnock.
Minimal design gets a small room compared to the rest of the styles, it needs a lot of work and is hard to sell, therefore the easy way to go forward and make a business out of it is to go for the generic architecture that rescues you, and keeps you above the water.
You may be thinking that we all have different tastes, yes we do, but don’t we all agree that we appreciate pure, beautiful, easy architectural or any kind of products?
I was all wrong about the concept of our minimalism, and this confusion drove me somewhere where I got lost in the idea of whatever is called minimalism is interesting. Although we should admit it has a beautiful name, probably that was one of the reasons that I was fascinated by it, nevertheless, I still do like it when minimalism is subject to the laws of simplicity.
The subject of minimalism and simplicity is endless, where different opinions stand, nevertheless one most important point about it, we should not let it invade us and control us!
I’m finding out today, that my fascination wasn’t about minimalism, but about simplicity, simple is always interesting, to discuss, to understand, and to talk about, I’m all the time fighting to make a good simple design, when I achieved it, I know, now that I’m doing it correctly. My modest experience in the architecture field taught me two things, either you make a generic architecture and be smart about it, or create a simple unique design and be proud of it! I want to be the second, if you can achieve a uniquely simple design you are already smart enough, and what John Pawson6 took from my mouth, saying “I’m not shy about using the term ‘minimalism’, but I do feel it is a dangerously broad description. I like things simple, I don’t like stuff”
In that sense what we admire from the first glance and call it minimalism- if it follows the rules of simplicity – we must call it, simply simple!
