Hugo Kükelhaus (March 24, 1900 – October 5, 1984) was a German carpenter, writer,
pedagogue
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken a ...
, philosopher and artist. Kükelhaus is best known for his infant toys "allbedeut" and the "
Erfahrungsfeld zur Entfaltung der Sinne." Throughout his life, he presented his views for a human-scaled living environment in talks and publications. He is also regarded as a harbinger for infant toy designs that fulfil the requirements of
pedagogy
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
and
developmental psychology. He gained international recognition for his design of 30 "Experience stations" at the German Pavilion of the
Expo 1967 in Montreal. His ideas are relevant for contemporary theories of
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...
,
educational technology and the design of learning environments.
Childhood and youth
Kükelhaus grew up as the oldest of five children in a household that was closely connected to the
crafts
A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...
, his father being chairman of the association of carpenters of the town of
Essen and involved in reorganising the associations of
vocation
A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious ...
al professions of the German crafts. In 1919, Kükelhaus finished his
Abitur in Essen, began an apprenticeship as a carpenter in Essen and, as a travelling
journeyman
A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...
(Geselle), travelled through Germany,
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
and the Baltics. In 1925, he received his master carpenter's certificate from the chamber of crafts of
Arnsberg
Arnsberg (; wep, Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hoch ...
. In the following years, he read Sociology, Philosophy, Mathematics/Logic and Physiology at the universities of
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
,
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...
and
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was name ...
.
Writing
The close relationship between research and practice was a central theme in every one of Kükelhaus's life achievements. In 1932, he published his first book ''Das Gesetz des Ebenmasses'' (The Law of Structure), where he developed on the golden section to canonical figures, by which furniture could be constructed to a human scale. His main work, ''Urzahl und Gebärde'' (Primordial Number and Gesture), was published in 1932. This work on numbers as the
psychological and
physiological foundation of being received great recognition.
Numerous other publications followed as Kükelhaus was still closely related to the crafts: In 1931, following the death of his father, he became the editor of the
trade journal
A trade magazine, also called a trade journal or trade paper (colloquially or disparagingly a trade rag), is a magazine or newspaper whose target audience is people who work in a particular trade or industry. The collective term for this ...
''Das Tischlergewerk'' (The Carpenting Trade), where he stayed until 1956. From 1934, he was also a member of staff at the Alfred Metzner publishing house in Berlin, which published the ''Schriften zur deutschen Handwerkskunst'' (Writings to the German Arts and Crafts) series (1935 ff) as well as ''Deutsche Warenkunde'' (German Journal of product trade), a news service on excellently designed products of trade and industry. He organised exhibitions and gave lectures as well as workshops. At the same time he was a prolific freelance writer and designer.
Kükelhaus as designer
Through his involvement with Fröbelschen Spielgaben, a
toy manufacturer, and in a dialogue with Fröbel researcher Erika Hoffmann, he designed the "Allbedeut" toys,
dexterity
Fine motor skill (or dexterity) is the coordination of small muscles in movement with the eyes, hands and fingers. The complex levels of manual dexterity that humans exhibit can be related to the nervous system. Fine motor skills aid in the growt ...
toys for infants, from 1939. Their importance was later underscored by
Jean Piaget
Jean William Fritz Piaget (, , ; 9 August 1896 – 16 September 1980) was a Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development. Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemolo ...
’s
developmental psychology, earning him the Federal ''Gute Form'' (Good Form) award in 1971.
In 1950, he became an educator at the School of Arts and Crafts in Münster (Werkschule Münster, today the Fachhochschule für Design), and from 1954 on he devoted his efforts to freelancing. As a furniture designer, illustrator, glass artist and sculptor, he was involved designing the interior and exterior of buildings both worldly and sacred. He settled in the mediaeval town of
Soest, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Kükelhaus as a critic of inhuman architecture
From 1960 onwards, Kükelhaus intensified his research and experimental studies into the sensory modalities. He took great care in observation and concluded that modern humankind had, in its technical advancement, robbed itself of the fundamental experiences necessary for the development of the body and the senses. He critiqued the increasingly inhumane tendencies of modern architecture of the Seventies, and developed basic principles of "organological" building. He worked on principles of development for spaces for all aspects of life according to the "Functioning principles of the human body." This commitment resulted in the accredited publication ''Unmenschliche Architektur'' (1973) (Inhumane architecture), and in consultancy work and artistic involvement regarding appropriate "organic" architecture in schools,
kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...
s and factories.
Experience field for the development of the senses
Kükelhaus gained international recognition through his Experience field for the development of the senses, presented at the 1967 World Expo in Montreal in form of 30 different experience exhibits. At the centre of these exhibits stands experiencing the world with the senses and an awareness for the body, as opposed to a purely intellectual engagement with the world. In the foreground is the corporeal and physical engagement with roundabouts, swings or the texture of the ground beneath the visitors feet.
These experiential exhibits are manifestations of his
phenomenology
Phenomenology may refer to:
Art
* Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties
Philosophy
* Phenomenology (philosophy), a branch of philosophy which studies subjective experiences and a ...
of consciousness regarding the learning process as a psycho-physiological experience: Learning through the body.
Quotes
"What exhausts us is ''not'' making use of the possibilities of our organs and senses, their subjugation and suppression. What constitutes them is development. Development through the engagement with a world that wholly challenges me."
"The development of man is optimally supported by that environment which provides multifarious well-proportioned stimulations. Notwithstanding the question if this world of stimuli consists of physical or social circumstances and factors – its multifariousness is life’s condition."
"We have for centuries sought to replace experience with knowledge. What a spare world we now live in!"
External links
1. Andreas Luescher (2006) Experience Field for the Development of the Senses: Hugo Kükelhaus' Phenomenology of Consciousness
International Journal of Art & Design Education 25 (1), 67–73 Full text available at:
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kukelhaus, Hugo
20th-century German philosophers
1900 births
1984 deaths
German carpenters
German male writers
20th-century German inventors