The Synthetic Sublime (2004)
article⁄The Synthetic Sublime (2004)
abstract⁄The distinction between the artificial and the natural has been increasingly challenged as a result of advances in genetics, microbiol’ogy, and robotics. Beginning with the molecular assemblage of organic systems into complex microsurfaces and structures, and expanding into the realm of the macro landscape, our understanding of the term Synthetic must be revised. What is the relationship between the component or part and the whole, when confronted with the Synthetic Digitally mediated fabrication technologies, combined with a renewed interest in topology and biological form, serve to challenge our preconceived notions of space and form. This inquiry will attempt to explore the relationship between traditional assemblies produced by hand, and the production of complex forms through digital rapid prototyping. The impact of D’Arcy Thompson’s On Growth and Form will be considered both as a historical juncture and a contemporary source of knowledge for the exploration of new assemblages inspired by topology and biology. In particular, the organic microsurfaces depicted in France Bourely’s Hidden Beauty will be explored, in comparison with the mathematical development of organic forms inspired by Periodic Minimal Surfaces. The analysis of emerging forms and assemblages based on the notion of the Synthetic will be compared with the Organic, and considered within the context of twentieth century art and sculpture. An attempt will be made to establish new modes of inquiry for combining digital and physical explorations of space and form, influenced by advances in microscale structures, complex surfaces, and the history of organic form in art.
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| Year |
2004 |
| Authors |
Perez, Santiago R. |
| Issue |
Fabrication: Examining the Digital Practice of Architecture |
| Pages |
162-175 |
| Library link |
Philip Beesley, Nancy Yen-Wen Cheng & R. Shane Williamson, 2004. bib⁄Fabrication: Examining the Digital Practice of Architecture. University of Waterloo School of Architecture Press. |
| Entry filename |
synthetic-sublime |
