Anthroposophy and my making process
The anthroposophical movement emerged in the early twentieth century, developed by the philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Anthroposophy is a school of thought that brings together the spiritual and the material in the hope of a better humanity.
For Steiner, thoughts could be translated into forms and colours. Everything that surrounds us in life can take on an artistic form, and even furniture can enliven an environment. His approach to design could be described as organic functionalism.
For us, beauty is everywhere, and thoughts become forms. Nature is the first source of creation.
Steiner reacted to industrialisation and materialism by looking back to the craftspeople of the Middle Ages and seeking spiritual renewal for both the makers and the inhabitants of the built environment. He believed in the Gesamtkunstwerk – the total work of art – where there is no separation between art and design. He saw art not as a luxury but as a spiritual necessity, most powerful when it is used by people in everyday life.
An anthroposophical approach to design means giving equal weight to practical use, spiritual purpose and individual artistic expression. As designers absorbed Steiner’s ideas, they each developed their own forms, born of these shared values.
The principles I make by
- The maker’s soul should be visible in the work.
- Parts express “gestures of affection” for one another – they lean in, with rounded and bevelled edges.
- No element exists in isolation: lively, organic relationships are favoured over stark repetition.
- Materials from the earth are handled with care.
- Double curves, moving from convex to concave, give surfaces a living quality.
- The uppermost part of a piece relates to the human head and mind, and is often shaped to uplift.
- Geometry arises as it does in nature – the golden ratio in a nautilus, the pentagon in a five-petalled flower.
- Forms carry a sense of movement, like musical rhythm.
- Practical use, spiritual purpose and artistic expression are equal.
