Ideology

In 8 AD, the Roman poet Ovid eloquently expressed the inherent mutability of nature, contemplating the unimaginable transformation of an eagle emerging from an egg. Ovid's poetic narrative extends beyond the conventional, where rocks metamorphose into humans, and these 250 myths have served as a wellspring of inspiration for artists spanning from Shakespeare to Bernini. The writer skillfully delineated these fantastical changes, while the sculptor, with remarkable manual dexterity, inscribed these transitions in marble. This process demanded not only imagination but also the ability to translate mental images onto paper through the art of drawing.

In our contemporary era, digital technology has revolutionized this process, rendering the transfer of three-dimensional images virtually devoid of analog constraints. This paradigm shift alters our perspectives on materials. The advent of 3D printing allows for the tangible manifestation of imaginative transfers, bringing them to life in a tactile and physical form.

For designers navigating this transformative landscape, the pivotal question becomes the methodology for achieving such feats. This necessitates a critical reassessment of materials and preconceived notions about their inherent properties, as well as considerations of how they can be joined, or if such constraints should exist at all. The entrenched Modernist dogma, advocating truth to materials, poses a potential barrier to creative exploration in this direction. In contrast, akin to a chef in the culinary realm, the designer can liberate themselves from such preconceptions, guided by different criteria that spark innovative thinking in the realm of materiality and form.

Process

Drawing parallels to the systematic approach employed by a pastry chef, the contemplation of architecture adopts a similar method. Over the span of fourteen weeks, a cyclic process unfolds, wherein each week's learning informs the generation of different recipes. The ultimate objective is to distill these accumulated insights into a refined architectural recipe by the fourteenth week, thereby encapsulating a comprehensive understanding and synthesis of the evolving design principles.

Inference

The inception of awareness in a newborn manifest in its ability to look, perceive, and recognize long before the acquisition of language, embodying the essence of "Seeing comes before Words." This act of seeing establishes our presence in the world; we interpret and articulate our understanding of the world through words. However, the dynamic interplay between what we see and what we know remains in perpetual flux.

Renowned Surrealist painter Magritte, in his work "The Key of Dreams," articulated that our perception is intricately influenced by our knowledge and beliefs. Consider the Middle Ages, where the belief in the physical existence of Hell imbued the sight of fire with a meaning distinct from contemporary interpretations. Their concept of Hell was deeply rooted in the visual experience of fire consumption, ashes remaining, and the visceral pain of burns.

Love, too, exemplifies a form of seeing that surpasses words and embraces, finding a unique completeness only matched by the intimate act of making love. This preverbal mode of perception, however, is not a mere reaction to stimuli; it's a conscious choice. To look is an act of selection, bringing into our realm of perception that which we actively choose to see. Our vision is an ongoing, active process, continuously shaping and positioning things in relation to ourselves.

Beyond this, we realize that our ability to see is reciprocal, recognizing that we, too, can be seen by others. The gaze of the other converges with our own, reinforcing our sense of belonging in the visible world.

An image, in essence, is a reconstructed or reproduced sight—a set of appearances divorced from its original time and place, preserved for moments or centuries. It encapsulates the transient nature of perception, freezing moments in time for contemplation and interpretation.

Every image encapsulates a unique perspective—a distinctive way of seeing. Unlike other relics or texts from the past, images serve as direct testimonials to the worlds that enveloped people in different eras. In this regard, images offer a precision and richness surpassing that of literature. Acknowledging this does not diminish the expressive or imaginative quality of art; rather, it emphasizes that, the more imaginative the work, the more profoundly it enables us to partake in the artist's experience of the visible.

However, when an image is presented as a work of art, the viewer's perception is influenced by a myriad of learned assumptions about art. These assumptions encompass various aspects, including: Beauty, Truth, Genius, Civilization, Form, Status, Taste, and more.

Many of these assumptions have evolved and no longer align with the realities of the present world. It's essential to acknowledge that the world-as-it-is encompasses more than just objective facts; it includes consciousness and subjective experiences. This insight is beautifully captured by John Berger in "Ways of Seeing."