Technology + Progress

Bauhaus School of Design

The Bauhaus was born from the vision of Walter Gropius with the thought of creating a utopian society within the fine arts and applied arts community; unifying the aspects of learning, creating and making.  Gropius’ goal was to create a school producing “a new guild of craftsmen, without the class distinctions which raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist.”

In the preliminary course founded by Johannes Itten, the students studied materials, colour theory, developed by Itten himself and design principles such as hierarchy and balance. Itten’s approach to teaching was influenced by Friedrich Froebel's pedagogy, learning through play. Itten began some classes with a short gymnastics routine performed by his students which taught them the basis of rhythmic form and movement.

However, Gropius’ initial motto of art through handcraft proved to be financially impractical causing the Bauhaus to revise their motto to “art and technology- a new unity.” This new program was focused primarily on the craft of mass production particularly after the preliminary course.

The methods and philosophies of modern design education, first introduced at the Bauhaus are similar to the methods experienced in the first year design program. Like Itten, the program is highly influenced by Froebel’s teaching methods. The first year program here at Victoria focuses on the exploration of materials; this was particularly evident in 111 and 141, where whole projects were focused on the study of very simple materials such as paper and wire. Although unlike Itten we don’t have a physical program we engage in at the beginning of each class, such as gymnastics, we are however, before the commencement of projects we are encouraged to get out of the classroom and find objects which we might engage with in the projects.