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Andrzej Pawłowski
Naturally Shaped Form
(from:"Fragmenty
prac naukowo-badawczych,
kwalifikacyjnych
i magisterskich" (Fragments of Scientific and
Research
works, Dissertations and Master's Theses", Krakow, 1966, Academy of Fine Arts)
Design as a planning of
processes to come concerns future space
and time. Hence the need for
discussing the processes of designing and creating in the future. A direct
reason for discussing the problem are
the tendencies to shorten the time of designing and of this process'
intensification, as well, as the conclusions resulting from the following
statements: "(...) man can only act as the nature does. It means he can only
change the form of a matter. Moreover, in this work of shaping he is constantly
supported by the powers of nature" (15, vol.2, p.46) (...)"The brain is as
shrewd as it is powerful. Shrewdness manifests itself in the intermediary role
which combines objects' interaction with other objects according to their nature
and though it does not interfere in the process, it nevertheless, realizes its
goal".(Hegel F. "Logics " - quotation from 15, vol.1, p. 190).
The wisdom of action is
based on using the law of causality which exists in nature, in such a way that
various powers grouped into a chain of causes and effects produce the desired
transformation.The progress of civilization consists in such a procedure, which
Tadeusz Kotarbinski calls - the minimization of intervention, and characterizes
it as follows:"...we try to manage in such a way, that what is to be done will
be done by itself, at least from a certain point of a given process" (13, p.
147)
Every action comprises the
following factors:
aim
- what? (intention)
realizing energy - who?
matter
- out of what?
regulating - adjusting
way
- how?
coordination - coordinating
time
- when?
verification - comparison
with intention
control energy - controlling
(information)
action - decision
Product (artifact) defined
by its aim is realized through the process which consists of the above mentioned
factors. The factors are directly supplied by the author (creator), however he
can also burden the nature (alive or dead nature,including man-made
"artificiata") with them and in this way making the nature subordinated to
himself. Every time man adds a new
factor of action to the nature he accomplishes further progress. Diagram 1 shows
the structure formed by action factors which, frequently can be observed in a
manufacturing process. It is understandable that an author wishes to give his
creation a possibly superb form.
It seems that one of the
most disturbing features of our creations
is their inanimateness, the
feature which makes the creations of
human beings fundamentally
different from those of the living
nature. One of the
characteristics of living creatures it is their
ability to adapt themselves
to the changes taking place in their
environment. This ability is
called: self correction, the feature
common to all self
controlled systems. The shape resulting from
such a process remains
perfect even when its life is taken away,
thus its ability to develop
itself further is interrupted
(skeleton, shell). The trait
of the process, the manner of its
generation makes it
authentic, genuine. In spite of the fact that
it is deprived of the
ability of further self correction, the
shape still bears the traits
revealing the truth about its
creation, at the same time
it seemingly determines its own
development possibilities.
It is an "open" form. It would be
interesting to try realize
such a shape in "artificial" conditions,
in a process where nature
(in wider sense than above described)
becomes burdened with such
way of action factors as regulation or way. The arrangement of action factors
would vary from the
previous example and would
look as it is shown on diagram 2. Let us analyze an elementary shape: a curve
called: chain curve.
_______ aim ________________
_______ control energy______
_______ action______________
_______ coordination________
_______ verification________
_______ time________________
_______ way_________________
_______ regulation__________
________________
executing energy____
AUTHOR
matter______________
PROCESS PRODUCT
NATURE
_______ aim_________________
_______
control energy______
_______ action______________
_______ coordination________
_______ verification________
_______ time________________
________________
way_________________
regulation__________
executing energy____
AUTHOR
matter______________
PROCESS PRODUCT
NATURE
The Principle of Naturally
Shaped Form
The shape is conditioned by
points of suspension and a chain
length. If we change the
length or points of suspension, we decide on the shape of the curve, but the
curve will nevertheless shape itself according to the principles of physics
which, let me call: natural ones.Each change of the shape is accompanied by self
correction which makes the shape perfect.
If we take, as an
assumption, that an author
of these changes accepts the principle
of such logic of the shape
and that his interventions result from
his subjective need, then we
can call the shape : a naturally
shaped form.
The problem of naturally
shaped form is connected with one of the problems of the calculus of variations
called: the problem of
Plateau (1801 - 1833). In
its simplest form the problem can be
formulated as following: to
reckon a surface of the smallest area
bounded in space by a given
closed contour.it has been observed
that mechanical structure
based on this assumption obtains a state of constant balance when its character
is such that its potential energy is minimal. The principles of "minimum"
dominated other branches of physics, construction, and have become the
evaluating criteria for perfection.
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