John Pawson on Minimalism as a Way of Life

30/04/2025 1h 32min Temporada 11 Episodio 130
John Pawson on Minimalism as a Way of Life

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Episode Synopsis

For the British architect John Pawson, minimalism isn’t just a design philosophy, but a life philosophy—with his 1996 book, Minimum, serving as a defining jumping-off point. Over the course of more than four decades, Pawson has quietly amassed a global following by distilling spaces, objects, and things down to their most essential. With projects ranging from his career-defining Calvin Klein Collection flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City, completed in 1995, to a remote monastery complex in the Czech Republic he’s been building for Cistercian monks of the Trappist order for more than 25 years; from hotels in Los Angeles, Madrid, and Tel Aviv to London’s Design Museum; from private homes in Colorado, Greece, Japan, Sweden, and beyond, to a chair and cookware; from lamps and linens to doorknobs, bowls, to even a steak knife, Pawson’s tightly focused yet seemingly boundless practice places him in a category all his own.On the episode—our fourth “site-specific” taping of Time Sensitive, recorded at Pawson’s country home in the Cotswolds—he discusses the problems he sees with trying to turn minimalism into a movement; his deep-seated belief in restraint, both in life and in architecture; and his humble, highly refined approach to creating sacred spaces.Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, L’École, School of Jewelry Arts.Show notes:[08:06] Tetsuka House (2005)[08:06] “John Pawson’s Approach to Making Life Simpler”[08:06] Shiro Kuramata[08:06] Katsura Imperial Villa[08:06] North York Moors[12:41] “Minimum” (1996)[12:41] Sen no Rikyū[17:35] Calvin Klein Collections Store (1995)[17:35] Ian Schrager[17:35] Paul Goldberger[17:35] Cathay Pacific (1998)[20:59] “Elements of Style” (1959) by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White[20:59] “Plain Space” (2010)[20:59] Raymond Carver[23:08] Bruce Chatwin[23:08] “Wabi”[23:08] Chatwin Apartment (1982)[26:26] Deyan Sudjic[28:12] Ryōan-ji[31:11] “John Pawson: Making Life Simpler” (2023)[30:16] Neuendorf House (1989)[30:16] Tilty Barn (1995)[37:19] Claudio Silvestrin[37:51] Philip Johnson[40:49] Home Farm (2019)[40:49] “Home Farm Cooking” (2021)[47:18] Bill Brandt[55:46] Hester van Royen Apartment (1981)[56:36] Casa Malaparte[56:36] Mies van der Rohe[56:36] Barcelona Pavilion[59:356] The Design Museum (2016)[59:356] Farnsworth House[59:356] “Inside the Brick House, Philip Johnson’s Private Playground”[1:02:26] Pawson House (1999)[1:05:53] The Feuerle Collection (2016)[1:10:33] Abbey of Our Lady of Nový Dvůr (2004)[1:21:54] Pieter Jansz. Saenredam