Customer Reviews

Minimum - Mini Edition (Phaidon Miniature Editions)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For anyone interested in what space (not outer-space, but the space we live in) could look like if we'd but show the courage to get rid of trinkets, bric-a-brac, and other clutter, this is the perfect book. And for those who already embrace the simplicity of minimalism, this is a wonderful picture book of great minimalist spaces, and other flowing, graceful geometries. It is not a textbook or text-based lesson on minimalism, but instead a visual guide - nearly every page is a picture of a minimalist scene. The photography and the reproduction are done amazingly well, and the subjects chosen are varied and represent many forms of minimalist thinking/viewing. It's printed on great quality paper with a nice binding and cover. But, I can give it only 4 stars because, as other reviewer mentioned, Pawson adds lots of unnecessary (and unhelpful and inappropriately leading) captioning. The book is a slick little well-made art-piece itself, too.

As a designer who surrounds herself with "things that I find compelling" as sort of religion, I found John Pawson's "minimum" an homage to the simplicity and grace that is everywhere, and is especially apparent in the finest of the modern masters. Unfortunately, Pawson chose to clutter his minimalist essay with unnecessary words in the form of individual captions, statements like "Agnes Martin's heartfelt expression of calm," describing her composition of fine horizontal line groupings against a grey tonal canvas, or "The moon on the sea at night - a picture of tranquility and calm." The work is better served when he leaves out the excessive adjectives and stays with the concrete, which is where the minimalist work truly belongs - material, light, space, line, form - such as his simple caption "Wall, ramp and stair flow into one another at Versailles." Any one of the captions on it's own would, perhaps, be fine, but page after page they become shallow and irritating, given the strength of the images. I found the introduction a bit on the trite side, as well. Pawson should follow one of his own maxims more closely -the power of silence. I would still recommend the book, however, as his choice of images is superb - and pulls from art as much as architecture, including a look at the abstraction of line made by-of all things-a stealth bomber in the sky. Best looked at as a secret treasure trove for designers and laymen alike, the images are undeniable in their economy-one of the mainstays of the poetic and the backbone of minimalism.

the true beauty of Pawson's quiet polemic is his restraint. remaing true to the theme, little text is offered, save a small elaboration for each image included as an appendix. the other refreshing aspect is his control in image selection. little of his work appears, and when it does, he only credits himself in the appendix. i can appreciate this approach to an architecture book. it is obviously not a monograph or end-table book as is Richard Meier Architect. instead, it is a 'this is what i like around me' book. the inclusion of non-architectural images (note the B-2 bomber and a three-prong fork) reinforces the theme of the truly powerful restraint that could exist in all design.

This Phaidon book is massive in size & it's heavy too. I find it less satisfying to read than John Pawson Works written by Deyan Sudjic but nevertheless, since that Minimum is compiled by the superarchitect himself, we are provided with an insight of different things, which inspired him at his works. This book is dominated by visuals, & some of the pictures were taken by Ezra Stoller (& there's a book specifically dedicated to this great photographer emphasising upon modernist works). Perhaps, a picture tells a million stories but the preface by John Pawson himself is the most effective piece in the whole book. Perhaps, it's fair to comment that the usage of minimalism in architecture has become a cliche now because John Pawson is frustrated that the word is used for the sake of been used when architecture should be dwelved deeper which he has done & endeavouring to continue doing so. Perhaps, not the best featured book about or by the superarchitect but still, it's a book that shouldn't be missed. Recommended.

Pawson has put together an elegant and inspiring collection of both high modernist and simplistic images deriving from art, architecture, and our natural world. Minimum is a plea for reduction and a soothing way for anyone to spend an hour.

John Pawson is one of my favorite architects, and this book perfectly highlights and demonstrates his minimalist approach. Light on text, heavy on beautiful photos. It's also gorgeously bound with a simple but rich cloth cover with beautiful type. It even came shrink-wrapped to ensure that it wasn't damaged during shipping. Everything about it is perfect.

For such an inexpensive book, I couldn't have been more surprised. I can't recommend this highly enough.

Picture book on Pawson's theory of minimum, with snapshots across the history of architecture. Nice intro to Pawson before moving on to his works book. Pleasant read/look but you may wish to go straight to works.

This is a thought provoking book, which on the whole I recommend. I have only one complaint: the text is set in a small grey print that I find painful to read. Is this an example of good design?

The book is not just about architecture. The author wants to convey a philosophy about minimalism to the readers. The book shows that the value of minimum is pervasive in every aspect of our life. At first, I was a littel bit disappointed about the content and the pictures (since I would like to see more modern architectural design). But later on, I found this book very intriguing. I think readers need to think when reading the book, try to get the communality of all the pictures from this book and come up with your own interpretation of what minimalism means. Of course, it takes time to derive your intellectual definition. But it is okay. Just take your time and you will enjoy the process of thinking in abstractive manner. Both the thinking process and results will guide your future design, aesthetics, and life style.

I think the idea of this book was a good one, however the images were not that inspiring for me. Minimalism can be very spiritual if done with the right stuff. There are few pages that fold out making panoramic views of, well...uninspired images. This is not to say the book is a total dud. I found some of it useful.

For a book that takes a similar approach, take a look at "Country and Modern: Contemporary Interiors for Rural Settings (Hardcover)" by Dinah Hall. The book, the images and ideas are more in the lines of the "truth to material" philosophy. This is a book I don't get tired of looking at. "Minimum" will just sit in the bookcase doing nothing I am afraid.