Transformative Art & Architecture
The Transformative Art & Architecture (TAA) Professional Development Initiative was founded by Johannes Schuster in 2017, after running seminars on “The Architecture of Universal Beauty” (AUB) from 2011 – 2016 in Australia, Switzerland (at the Goetheanum in 2015 and 2016), Malaysia, China and Argentina.
In 2017 his wife Sue Schuster joined the initiative. Since then they have been working together, with Johannes focusing on the theoretic content and Sue bringing her artistic skills and experience to the course. Beginning in 2017, Johannes and Sue have taught the TAA Course to numbers of different cohorts of Chinese audiences, switching over to online teaching from 2020. (an article about our China experience appeared in late 2021 in the Pacific Journal and the Australian Anthroposophical newsletter. )
The aim of this initiative is to develop and promote an Anthroposophically inspired Theory of Transformative Art & Architecture, which is based on the spiritual view of the human being and universe taught by Rudolf Steiner. The methodology arising from this theory is known as Biosculptural Architecture.
The vision of TAA is for the forms of Art & Architecture to become forces for “Goodness, Truth and Beauty” in the world. This vision takes its inspiration from Rudolf Steiner himself, who in one of his lectures to the workers at the first Goetheanum, spoke the following words about the forms of Art & Architecture of the future:
“…the turning of evil into good, will in future depend upon whether true art
is able to pour a spiritual fluid into the hearts and souls of human beings.”
Rudolf Steiner, “Ways to a new style in Architecture”, 1914,
TAA Course Structure
The full TAA course consists of eight 6-day modules focussed on the following four themes.
Each theme/module is taught at an introductory and an advanced level:
Module I/Process I: CREATIVE PROCESS
The Spiritual Architecture of the Creative Process
Module II/Language of Form I: NATURE
The Four Ethers and the Architecture of Universal Beauty
Module III/Language of Form II: THE HUMAN BEING
Hierarchy of Form and the Human Being as the Measure of All Things
Module IV/Process II: PRACTICUM
Practical Project work
Who is it for?
Course participants in the past have come from a wide range of professions
- from architects, designers and artists to teachers, lecturers and entrepreneurs,
- as well as farmers, Goethean scientists and generally students of spirituality interested in exploring life, form and design through a spiritual paradigm.
- many have come with a background in Anthroposophy, others without it.
For newcomers the course offers a birds eye view of Anthroposophy, for those with an Anthroposophical background it offers an opportunity to reconnect the dots between familiar perspectives, combining them into a larger, integrated whole.
For past years go to:
2019 Course Document and Dates
2019 Course Document in Chinese Translation