May 6, 2012

Synthesis

Synthesis: a combination of ideas to form a coherent whole.

Is there a line between science and art? Or perhaps between craft and industry? This piece questions these boundaries as is combines the two sides of the coin. 





According to Bartneck (2009), design has moved away from craft and towards an academic discipline, but has not yet formed its own science. And today’s designers embrace science as analogies, metaphors, and in a few cases, tools to generate startling new designs (Mehaffy & Salingaros, 2012). The foundations of this model also lie in science rather than art. Extrapolating from the solar flare graphs of 2009, the planar discs of this model are suspended by a thick wire. It is science that puts this data into play and it is through design that this model is constructed.

Curves are the most basic expressions when fluidity is concerned. The curve is unpredictable, synthetic and molten. However, it is often forgotten that a curve is merely a series of points joined together in a nonlinear fashion. This piece uses points, lines and planes to illustrate a sensuous curve that envelops a string of discs.

This design was created to show the synthesis of materials, idea and form. The combinations plastic and metal; machine and handcraft; and most curiously, science and art is what makes this piece completely synthetic. It is neither here nor there. Its meaning is neither authentic nor fake. It has become that line between science and art. 






Reference

Bartneck, C. (2009). Using The Metaphysics Of Quality To Define Design Science. Presented at the 4th International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology, Pennsylvania. doi: 10.1145/1555619.1555627

Mehaffy, M., Salingaros, N. (2012). Science for Designers: The Meaning of Complexity. Metromag.com [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20120330/science-for-designers-the-meaning-of-complexity#more-23581

Mehaffy, M. Salingaros,. (2012). Science for Designers: The Transformation of Wholes. Metromag.com [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.metropolismag.com/pov/20120413/science-for-designers-the-transformation-of-wholes

Wikimedia Commons. (2006). Courbe_niveau.svg [Image]. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Courbe_niveau.svg

NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center. (2009). ISES Solar Cycle Sunspot Number Progression [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/image/content/352128main_solar_cycle_prediction_lg.jpg

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