This is my LAB, that means a place for experimentation and research .
The name OBJECTOLOGY was inspired by a quote of the Architect and designer Marco Susani cited in Anthony Dunne's book.
"We are lacking a discipline, perhaps an 'objectology,' or an 'object ethology,' which allows us to analyze and systematize objects and to formulate the rules and codes of their behaviour ... a discipline which recovers and updates the interrupted discourse of material culture, in crisis since the world of objects was taken over by the world of products and the world of consumption"
The first approach:
The project started in 2009 as a Final Project of my BA in Bezalel Academy.
I was always interested in conceptual art and the search for the meaning or essence of objects. The job of conceptual artists was always to encourage a revisionary understanding of art, artist, and artistic experience. Nowadays, thoughts concerning the essence of objects are still relevant, but research tools have changed.
At first, like in many others design processes, I performed changes and manipulations on different objects in an intuitive way (I think that in the same way that a painter has to get to know his brushes before he starts painting, I wanted to experiment with the tool that I chose to work with, which was the computer)
These a couple of examples of the experiments or tests that I performed:
I experimented with the natural movements of object. (We can imagine that every object has an axis and a line that defines it in time and space) and worked with variations on the form of objects while keeping one of the parameters fixed. In this case the parameter that I kept was the volume of the chair. Meaning, for example, that if you reduce some part of the chair you have to enlarge another part of it.
I also experimented with some principles taken from basic genetics; to create different combinations of turned legs patterns.
As I got deeper into my work, I chose to focus on three manipulations, wich are superposition, gradual hybridization and filling negative spaces. Each one expresses a different concept or idea. (which I am about to explain)
1- Superimposition - The object's Essence.
2- Filling negative spaces - Primal Furniture.
3- Gradual Hybridization - Vestiges of a chair.
Superimposition - The object's Essence.
In the first part, I wanted to examine what is the minimum form that an object needs to be what it is?
Bernd and Hilla Becher photographed and catalogued industrial buildings, maintaining a strict set of guidelines. The artist Idris Khan superimposes each photograph set into a sigle frame.
Inspired by his art-work, I superimposed semi transparent silhouets of the history of an object. At first, of a kettle, And afterwards of differents objects. So I created this video by superimposing the transparent silhouettes. That way it is possible to see the morphological changes which took place during the history and the development of an object. It is also possible to see darker parts indicating the regions of the object which have not changed. I separated the darker parts of every set of objects in an attempt to examine whether the result could be considered as the morphological essence of the object.
The search after the minimum – morphological as well as material - has been the major focus of many contemporary designers. This relentless search sometimes reaches a point, where the object loses its cultural depth. My goal was to get to the morphological minimum of the object, without loosing its historic, social and poetical aspects. Only then, can this minimum be considered as the essence of the object.
Filling negative spaces - Primal Furniture.
In the second part of my work, I wanted to explore the basic form that defines an object?
Prehistoric man created a whole world of tools and furniture from stone, which he gradually advanced and perfected throughout history. The shape of every object known today largely depends on factors related to the period in which it was created - technological capabilities, local trends, etc. of the time.
By filling the negative spaces of iconic chairs in the history of modern design, I canceled out the historical characteristics of each chair and detached it from its cultural context.
With this action, I tried to attain a basic form which defines a chair from a perceptual approach. As we know, Michelangelo believed that every stone had a sculpture within it, and that the work of sculpting was simply a matter of chipping away all that was not a part of the statue. So by filling in the negative spaces, in some way, I revert the chairs to stone, and so, to their primal form.
My project focuses on form, detached from its function, material and technology. This isolation is similar to the analytic approach of abstraction, applied in scientific researches. Studies of this type isolate the concept being examined in order to analyze a certain phenomenon. The use of scientific methodology in my work allowed me to create unexpected forms.
The manipulations that I've performed on different objects, can give rise to lack of functionality. Such situations - where shape is detached from function - on the one hand enable us to examine the shape separately, while on the other hand, gives the objects a sculptural dimension.
In fact, today, computerized software allows designers to build three-dimensional forms regardless of material and technology. This phenomenon is reflected in the treatment of the material as a texture which can be applied to any form and replaced according to the will of the designer. This option both frees the designer from the limitations of the material and of the production technology.
I claim that the influence of computerized technologies on design in the contemporary world is characterized by a constant detachment on different levels: between the design process and its result, between shape and material and between the object and its cultural context. Although this detachment can be seen as a negative phenomenon, it can also be perceived as a new approach in design. The detachment in this case, is an objectification of the designer's work that leads to a different level of abstraction than the one normally used in current design processes.
Gradual Hybridization - Vestiges of a chair.
In the third part of my project I explored weather the evolution of products is similar to evolution in nature?
Inspired by the evolutionary process in nature, I have created a set of chairs that underwent mutation and became storage units. Each chair in the set is in a different stage of the evolutionary process, and fulfills the sitting-function to a different extent.
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution explains that some body-parts have no specific role, and that their present shapes can be explained by their being vestiges of previous generations. Human’s toes exemplify this phenomenon. While separated toes made it possible for primates to move among trees; humans only require one separated toe (the big toe) in order to achieve balance in walking. However, Indians take advantage of their toes and use them to hold threads while weaving. This shows the ability of humans to provide new functions and cultural significations to existing forms. By using an evolutionary model from nature, it is possible to create new forms which do not necessarily need to fulfill their original function. Only then, is it possible to think of new meanings and additional functions for existing forms.
So, through gray forms -which are similar to the display of models in three dimensional software- I downplay the emphasis on materiality as much as possible to convert the objects into an idea. Although some of the results of my project are three dimensional pieces, they are forms which remain in the virtual world in which they were created; they are forms which represent the object as an abstract concept or as a platonic idea.
SEE THE BOOK
READ THE FULL PAPER
It's possible to use OBJECTOLOGY as a tool for thinking of new ideas or for teaching design. I did a lecture recently in the H.I.T. for 1st. year students. Any idea? Contact me!
The name OBJECTOLOGY was inspired by a quote of the Architect and designer Marco Susani cited in Anthony Dunne's book.
"We are lacking a discipline, perhaps an 'objectology,' or an 'object ethology,' which allows us to analyze and systematize objects and to formulate the rules and codes of their behaviour ... a discipline which recovers and updates the interrupted discourse of material culture, in crisis since the world of objects was taken over by the world of products and the world of consumption"
The first approach:
The project started in 2009 as a Final Project of my BA in Bezalel Academy.
I was always interested in conceptual art and the search for the meaning or essence of objects. The job of conceptual artists was always to encourage a revisionary understanding of art, artist, and artistic experience. Nowadays, thoughts concerning the essence of objects are still relevant, but research tools have changed.
At first, like in many others design processes, I performed changes and manipulations on different objects in an intuitive way (I think that in the same way that a painter has to get to know his brushes before he starts painting, I wanted to experiment with the tool that I chose to work with, which was the computer)
These a couple of examples of the experiments or tests that I performed:
I experimented with the natural movements of object. (We can imagine that every object has an axis and a line that defines it in time and space) and worked with variations on the form of objects while keeping one of the parameters fixed. In this case the parameter that I kept was the volume of the chair. Meaning, for example, that if you reduce some part of the chair you have to enlarge another part of it.
I also experimented with some principles taken from basic genetics; to create different combinations of turned legs patterns.
As I got deeper into my work, I chose to focus on three manipulations, wich are superposition, gradual hybridization and filling negative spaces. Each one expresses a different concept or idea. (which I am about to explain)
1- Superimposition - The object's Essence.
2- Filling negative spaces - Primal Furniture.
3- Gradual Hybridization - Vestiges of a chair.
Superimposition - The object's Essence.
In the first part, I wanted to examine what is the minimum form that an object needs to be what it is?
Bernd and Hilla Becher photographed and catalogued industrial buildings, maintaining a strict set of guidelines. The artist Idris Khan superimposes each photograph set into a sigle frame.
Inspired by his art-work, I superimposed semi transparent silhouets of the history of an object. At first, of a kettle, And afterwards of differents objects. So I created this video by superimposing the transparent silhouettes. That way it is possible to see the morphological changes which took place during the history and the development of an object. It is also possible to see darker parts indicating the regions of the object which have not changed. I separated the darker parts of every set of objects in an attempt to examine whether the result could be considered as the morphological essence of the object.
The search after the minimum – morphological as well as material - has been the major focus of many contemporary designers. This relentless search sometimes reaches a point, where the object loses its cultural depth. My goal was to get to the morphological minimum of the object, without loosing its historic, social and poetical aspects. Only then, can this minimum be considered as the essence of the object.
Filling negative spaces - Primal Furniture.
In the second part of my work, I wanted to explore the basic form that defines an object?
Prehistoric man created a whole world of tools and furniture from stone, which he gradually advanced and perfected throughout history. The shape of every object known today largely depends on factors related to the period in which it was created - technological capabilities, local trends, etc. of the time.
By filling the negative spaces of iconic chairs in the history of modern design, I canceled out the historical characteristics of each chair and detached it from its cultural context.
With this action, I tried to attain a basic form which defines a chair from a perceptual approach. As we know, Michelangelo believed that every stone had a sculpture within it, and that the work of sculpting was simply a matter of chipping away all that was not a part of the statue. So by filling in the negative spaces, in some way, I revert the chairs to stone, and so, to their primal form.
My project focuses on form, detached from its function, material and technology. This isolation is similar to the analytic approach of abstraction, applied in scientific researches. Studies of this type isolate the concept being examined in order to analyze a certain phenomenon. The use of scientific methodology in my work allowed me to create unexpected forms.
The manipulations that I've performed on different objects, can give rise to lack of functionality. Such situations - where shape is detached from function - on the one hand enable us to examine the shape separately, while on the other hand, gives the objects a sculptural dimension.
In fact, today, computerized software allows designers to build three-dimensional forms regardless of material and technology. This phenomenon is reflected in the treatment of the material as a texture which can be applied to any form and replaced according to the will of the designer. This option both frees the designer from the limitations of the material and of the production technology.
I claim that the influence of computerized technologies on design in the contemporary world is characterized by a constant detachment on different levels: between the design process and its result, between shape and material and between the object and its cultural context. Although this detachment can be seen as a negative phenomenon, it can also be perceived as a new approach in design. The detachment in this case, is an objectification of the designer's work that leads to a different level of abstraction than the one normally used in current design processes.
Gradual Hybridization - Vestiges of a chair.
In the third part of my project I explored weather the evolution of products is similar to evolution in nature?
Inspired by the evolutionary process in nature, I have created a set of chairs that underwent mutation and became storage units. Each chair in the set is in a different stage of the evolutionary process, and fulfills the sitting-function to a different extent.
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution explains that some body-parts have no specific role, and that their present shapes can be explained by their being vestiges of previous generations. Human’s toes exemplify this phenomenon. While separated toes made it possible for primates to move among trees; humans only require one separated toe (the big toe) in order to achieve balance in walking. However, Indians take advantage of their toes and use them to hold threads while weaving. This shows the ability of humans to provide new functions and cultural significations to existing forms. By using an evolutionary model from nature, it is possible to create new forms which do not necessarily need to fulfill their original function. Only then, is it possible to think of new meanings and additional functions for existing forms.
So, through gray forms -which are similar to the display of models in three dimensional software- I downplay the emphasis on materiality as much as possible to convert the objects into an idea. Although some of the results of my project are three dimensional pieces, they are forms which remain in the virtual world in which they were created; they are forms which represent the object as an abstract concept or as a platonic idea.
SEE THE BOOK
READ THE FULL PAPER
It's possible to use OBJECTOLOGY as a tool for thinking of new ideas or for teaching design. I did a lecture recently in the H.I.T. for 1st. year students. Any idea? Contact me!