I am pretty thrilled from the discovery I did today inside Gould's book "Ontogeny and Philogeny".
He is analysing the Theory of Recapitulation and he connects it with the theories of racism. Recapitulationists claimed that " whites, as children, reach the level of black adults; whites then continue on to higher things during their ontegeny. "(pg132). These ideas were commonplaces back to 19th centuary and the beggining of the 20th. Many politicians had used these theories to construct a rationale for imperialism and of course for the superiority of the whote race. More than any one Hitler used these theories to rise the Nazism.
Gould then maintains that with the occuring of pedomorphosis all the datas on human evolution which support the superiority of the white race were virtually, simple because these data were products of hidde or not, strong political reliances. Gould opposing the recapitulation with a sense of irony:
"...If their motivations were so simple and unsullied, then the replacement of recapitulation by paedomorphosis as an explanation for human evolution should have led to the following honest admission: hard facts prove that white children are like black adults; under pedomorphosis, children of primatives are like adults stages of advances forms; therefore, blacks are superior to whites. "
In other words, pedomorphic model reaffirm racism in the opposite.
I really do not know how this can be related to design, but a first reflection is that maybe a childlike development of products can lead to a more accesible material culture.
Disney for example ... he created a well constucted virtual world that is accessible to everyone.
Tuesday 25 August 2009
Monday 24 August 2009
Bibliography
Bibliography
The bibliography is still work in progress and during the thesis books will be added or deleted.
Design
Alessi, A. (1998). The dream factory. Cologne: Könemann.
Antonelli, P. (2005) Humble masterpieces: everyday marvels of design. New York: Harper Collins.
Antonelli, P. (2005) Safe : design takes on risk. New York: Museum of Modern Art.
Art & design monographs (1994). Alessi : the design factory. London: Academy Editions.
Marsack, R. (1997). AGI's designers of influence / Essays on design 1. London: Booth-Clibborn Editions.
Michl, J. (2002). On seeing design as redesign: An exploration of a neglected problem in Design education.Scandinavia Journal of Design History.
Michl, J. (2006). Without a godlike designer no designerlike God. Unpublished
Norman, D. (1998). The design of everyday things. London: MIT Press.
Lawson, B. (2006). How designers think: the design process demystified. Oxford: Architectural Press.
Paris, T. (2005). Made in Italy: il design degli italiani. Rome: Designpress.
Papanek, V. (1972). Design for the real world. London : Thames and Hudson.
Petroski, H. (1994). The evolution of useful things. New York: Vintage Books.
Petroski, H. (2003). Small things considered: why there is no perfect design. New York: Alferd A. Knopf.
Pye, D. (1969). The nature of design. London : Studio Vista.
Vegesack A., Oldiges J., Bullivant L. (1997). Kid size : the material world of childhood / Vitra Design Museum. Milano : Skira.
Aesthetics
Burke, E. (1990). A philosophical enquiry into the origin of our ideas of the sublime and beautiful [1757]. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press.
Pye, D. (1978). The nature and aesthetics of design. London : Barrie & Jenkins.
Smith, A. (1982).The theory of moral sentiments. Indianapolis: LibertyClassics.
Philosophy- Cultural Studies - Psychology
Berlyne, D. E. (1960). Conflict, arousal, and curiosity. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Berlyne, D. E. (1974). Studies in the new experimental aesthetics: steps toward an objective psychology of aesthetic appreciation. Washington D. C.: Hemisphere.
Berlyne, D. E. (1971). Aesthetics and psychobiology. New York: Appleon-Century-Crofts.
Csikszrntmihalyi, M., Rochberg-Halton, E. (1981). The meaning of things: Domestic symbols and the self. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
International Design Forum Ulm 1989 (1990) . Cultural identity and design: conference 1989. Berlin: Ernst+Sohn .
Norman, D. (2004). Emotional design : why we love (or hate) everyday things. N.Y. : Basic Books
Rodgers, P., Brodhust, L., Hepburn, D. (2005). Crossing design boundaries. London : Taylor & Francis
Semantics
Chandler, D. (2002). Semiotics: the basics. London: Routledge.
Foucault, M. (2002). The order of things: an archaeology of the human sciences. London: Routledge.
Vihma, S. (1995). Products as representations : a semiotic and aesthetic study of design products. Helsinki : University of Art and Design Helsinki UIAH.
Vihma, S. (1992). Objects and images: studies in design and advertising. Helsinki : University of Art and Design Helsinki UIAH.
Form - Perception
Alexander, C. (1964). Notes on the synthesis of form. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Arnheim, R. (1974). Art and visual perception: a psychology of the creative eye. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Gregory, R.L. (1974). Concepts and mechanisms of perception. London: Duckworth.
Gregory, R.L. (1966). Eye and Brain: the psychology of seeing. London: World University Library.
Gregory, R.L. (1995). The Artful eye. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ittelson, W. (1968). Ames demonstration in perception. New York: Hafner.
Piaget, J. (1971) The child’s conception of the World. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
Thompson, D. (1966). On growth and form. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Thornton, P. (1998). Form & decoration : innovation in the decorative arts, 1470-1870. London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Whittick, A. (1971). Symbols : signs and their meaning and uses in design. London : Hill.
Wolfe, J.M. (1976). The Mind’s eye. New York: Freeman. (Scientific American, Inc.)
Design, Architecture and Art History
Bayer, P., Noel R. (2003) The Elements of design: the development of design and stylistic elements from the Renaissance to the postmodern era. London : Mitchell Beazley
Byars, M. (2004). The Design Encyclopedia. New York : Museum of Modern Art.
Ferebee, A. (1970). A history of design from the victorian era to the present : a survey of the modern style in architecture, interior design, industrial design, graphic design and photography. New York : Van Nostrand.
Gimpel, Jean. (1991). Against art and artists. revised British ed. Edinburgh: Polygon. (Earlier title: The cult of art).
Gombrich, E.H. (2006) .The story of art .Phaidon.
Nelson, G. (1995). The design of modern design. Gambridge, Mass. : MIT Press.
Phaidon design (2006). Phaidon design classics. London : Phaidon Press.
Thackara, J. (1988). Design after modernism: beyond the object. London: Thames and Hudson.
Biology – Anthropology
Montagu, A. (1981). Growing young. McGraw-Hill.
Lionni Leo. (1977). Parallel botany. New York : Alfred A. Knopf.
Collins M.W., Atherton M.A. and Bryant J.A. (2005) .Nature and design. Southampton : WIT Press
Visual Communication and Data
Klanten, R. (2008). Data flow: visualising information in graphic design. Berlin: Gestalten.
Tufte, E. (2006). Beautiful Evidence. Cheshire, Conn. : Graphic Press LLC
Tufte, E. (2001). The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire, Conn. : Graphic Press LLC
Tufte, E. (1997). Visual explanations: images and quantities, evidence and narrative. Cheshire, Conn. : Graphic Press LLC
The bibliography is still work in progress and during the thesis books will be added or deleted.
Design
Alessi, A. (1998). The dream factory. Cologne: Könemann.
Antonelli, P. (2005) Humble masterpieces: everyday marvels of design. New York: Harper Collins.
Antonelli, P. (2005) Safe : design takes on risk. New York: Museum of Modern Art.
Art & design monographs (1994). Alessi : the design factory. London: Academy Editions.
Marsack, R. (1997). AGI's designers of influence / Essays on design 1. London: Booth-Clibborn Editions.
Michl, J. (2002). On seeing design as redesign: An exploration of a neglected problem in Design education.Scandinavia Journal of Design History.
Michl, J. (2006). Without a godlike designer no designerlike God. Unpublished
Norman, D. (1998). The design of everyday things. London: MIT Press.
Lawson, B. (2006). How designers think: the design process demystified. Oxford: Architectural Press.
Paris, T. (2005). Made in Italy: il design degli italiani. Rome: Designpress.
Papanek, V. (1972). Design for the real world. London : Thames and Hudson.
Petroski, H. (1994). The evolution of useful things. New York: Vintage Books.
Petroski, H. (2003). Small things considered: why there is no perfect design. New York: Alferd A. Knopf.
Pye, D. (1969). The nature of design. London : Studio Vista.
Vegesack A., Oldiges J., Bullivant L. (1997). Kid size : the material world of childhood / Vitra Design Museum. Milano : Skira.
Aesthetics
Burke, E. (1990). A philosophical enquiry into the origin of our ideas of the sublime and beautiful [1757]. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press.
Pye, D. (1978). The nature and aesthetics of design. London : Barrie & Jenkins.
Smith, A. (1982).The theory of moral sentiments. Indianapolis: LibertyClassics.
Philosophy- Cultural Studies - Psychology
Berlyne, D. E. (1960). Conflict, arousal, and curiosity. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Berlyne, D. E. (1974). Studies in the new experimental aesthetics: steps toward an objective psychology of aesthetic appreciation. Washington D. C.: Hemisphere.
Berlyne, D. E. (1971). Aesthetics and psychobiology. New York: Appleon-Century-Crofts.
Csikszrntmihalyi, M., Rochberg-Halton, E. (1981). The meaning of things: Domestic symbols and the self. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
International Design Forum Ulm 1989 (1990) . Cultural identity and design: conference 1989. Berlin: Ernst+Sohn .
Norman, D. (2004). Emotional design : why we love (or hate) everyday things. N.Y. : Basic Books
Rodgers, P., Brodhust, L., Hepburn, D. (2005). Crossing design boundaries. London : Taylor & Francis
Semantics
Chandler, D. (2002). Semiotics: the basics. London: Routledge.
Foucault, M. (2002). The order of things: an archaeology of the human sciences. London: Routledge.
Vihma, S. (1995). Products as representations : a semiotic and aesthetic study of design products. Helsinki : University of Art and Design Helsinki UIAH.
Vihma, S. (1992). Objects and images: studies in design and advertising. Helsinki : University of Art and Design Helsinki UIAH.
Form - Perception
Alexander, C. (1964). Notes on the synthesis of form. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Arnheim, R. (1974). Art and visual perception: a psychology of the creative eye. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Gregory, R.L. (1974). Concepts and mechanisms of perception. London: Duckworth.
Gregory, R.L. (1966). Eye and Brain: the psychology of seeing. London: World University Library.
Gregory, R.L. (1995). The Artful eye. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ittelson, W. (1968). Ames demonstration in perception. New York: Hafner.
Piaget, J. (1971) The child’s conception of the World. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
Thompson, D. (1966). On growth and form. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Thornton, P. (1998). Form & decoration : innovation in the decorative arts, 1470-1870. London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Whittick, A. (1971). Symbols : signs and their meaning and uses in design. London : Hill.
Wolfe, J.M. (1976). The Mind’s eye. New York: Freeman. (Scientific American, Inc.)
Design, Architecture and Art History
Bayer, P., Noel R. (2003) The Elements of design: the development of design and stylistic elements from the Renaissance to the postmodern era. London : Mitchell Beazley
Byars, M. (2004). The Design Encyclopedia. New York : Museum of Modern Art.
Ferebee, A. (1970). A history of design from the victorian era to the present : a survey of the modern style in architecture, interior design, industrial design, graphic design and photography. New York : Van Nostrand.
Gimpel, Jean. (1991). Against art and artists. revised British ed. Edinburgh: Polygon. (Earlier title: The cult of art).
Gombrich, E.H. (2006) .The story of art .Phaidon.
Nelson, G. (1995). The design of modern design. Gambridge, Mass. : MIT Press.
Phaidon design (2006). Phaidon design classics. London : Phaidon Press.
Thackara, J. (1988). Design after modernism: beyond the object. London: Thames and Hudson.
Biology – Anthropology
Montagu, A. (1981). Growing young. McGraw-Hill.
Lionni Leo. (1977). Parallel botany. New York : Alfred A. Knopf.
Collins M.W., Atherton M.A. and Bryant J.A. (2005) .Nature and design. Southampton : WIT Press
Visual Communication and Data
Klanten, R. (2008). Data flow: visualising information in graphic design. Berlin: Gestalten.
Tufte, E. (2006). Beautiful Evidence. Cheshire, Conn. : Graphic Press LLC
Tufte, E. (2001). The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire, Conn. : Graphic Press LLC
Tufte, E. (1997). Visual explanations: images and quantities, evidence and narrative. Cheshire, Conn. : Graphic Press LLC
The diploma programming
Finally after pretty busy writing week I have formulate my diploma description. Seems thought that during the next weeks things will change.
the phenomenon of pedomorphosis in design
observations and mapping
Preface
Childlike and figurative design. Design toys, toys for kids, toys for adults and kids’ items as miniatures of adults’ world. A car that reminds a baby and a mobile phone that it shrinks to the size of a thumb. Activities, known as hobbies, for adults with over-sized toys. And screams of happiness in front of the cutest and sweetest gadget ever covered with million Hello Kitty stickers and a pink fury wrap.
Artifacts evolve from artifacts. But artifacts are made by human beings and thus they reflect humans needs and wants. As an extension of them psychology, beliefs, technology, culture and biology come in the spotlight. And human evolves not any more on the trees, but in a complex environment or artificial biotope, which actually he is creating.
This thesis intent to explore a specific morphology of design, which had or has great success among other morphologies. The perspective with which I intend to explore this success is not through marketing or sales analysis but via an evolutionary phenomenon called pedomorphosis[1], neotony or juvenification. They are terms in evolutionary biology referring to the retention, by adults in a species, of physical and psychological traits characteristic for juveniles. In terms of anthropology and sociology, pedomorphosis, in addition of the humankind’s physical and psychological development, can also explain the development of humans’ behavioral capacities.[2]
Theories of biology suggest that human’s neotenous characteristics were an evolutionary strategy that enabled Homo sapiens sapiens to evolve from his ancestors, the pithecanthropines, by shedding the anthropoid traits and replacing them with juvenile characteristics. This process in combination with the other mechanisms of evolution[3] gave to humans both physical and intellectual predominance over the animal kingdom. Some acknowledgeable neotenous characteristics in humans are the so called “baby face”, woman’s vellus hair, curved forehead, small teeth and of course many of his behavioral needs as curiosity, imagination, creativity, eagerness to learn, joyfulness and playfulness.
The term was first coined in 1884 to describe amphibians’ sexual maturity while still in the larval form. [4] Zoologists and biologists were the first who launched the concept of pedomorphosis and they developed it further. It was not until 1940s when anthropologists started to look for a closer relation between social behavior and pedomorphosis. Social sciences, in a parallel development with biology, psychology, neurology and sexology[5] since then have deal with the phenomenon and its effects on the human’s physical and behavioral development.
Many disciplines the past years have tried to apply the evolution theories according to their main field if interesting. Psychology, sexology, marketing and computer programming, they all have applied features that can be categorized as paedomorphical traits[6].
Arts extensively have used both the characteristics and the effects of pedomorphosis. In fashion design, illustration, film, architecture, painting, sculpture, literature we can find many themes and features that can be characterized as paedomorphical. The mini cloths, the Disney’s figures, the sci-fi’s adaptation of cute friendly aliens, Michael Graves’ postmodern architecture, Picasso’s childlike paintings and Miro’s crazy sculpture, have a great number of paedomorphical morphological and psychological characteristics.
In terms of design, in the postwar years, it has been noticed a tendency to develop product forms with childlike characteristics, proportions, colors, materials and even contexts. The example of Mini Morris (1959), Tupperware(1945), Michele De Lucchi’s household prototypes for Gimli, the evolution of the mobile telephone, the over sizing of lamps or minimizing chairs and the design toys can suggest such childlike characteristics. A common element, apart from the morphological ones is their popularity among the others products. They all appear to have both attractiveness and commercial success.
So I believe, all in all, that the concept of pedomorphosis can throw light on this still nameless and unidentified category in product design.
Hypothesis
The concept of paedomorphosis, it seems, it has not been employed among the explanations of childlike features in product design[7]. Though many researchers have attempted to understand the morphological elements that may be seen as paedomorphical it seems that they categorize them under other study topics. A first superficial reading of these characteristics will place them in the category of childish, figurative, children’s, toys’ and anthropomorphic design. [8]
So the hypothesis has been formulated to:
The biological theory of pedomorphosis can make the phenomenon of childlike elements in product design comprehensible.
Among my tasks will be to find out:
What kinds of products show the pedomorphic features?
What are the specific morphological elements of this phenomenon that makes the products attractive?
How external factors as perception, aesthetics and marketing modify this morphology?
What is the role of the designers in the use of the concept of pedomorphosis in design?
[1] Also spelled paedomorphosis.
[2] Capacity as a potentiality (Montagu 1989)
[3] Some of the other mechanisms of evolution are the gene mutation, selection pressures, genetic drift, hybridization and fixation of genes.
[4] For the history of pedomorphosis see Ashley Montagu’s Growing Young (1981)
[5] Especially in the fields of perception, cognition and children behavior.
[6] For example hairless sexual prototypes, playfulness in advertisement and intuitive approach in computer programming.
[7] There is not even one scientific paper on Design theory connected design with pedomorphosis
[8] I speculate that figurative and anthropomorphic design, though they have similar morphological expressions with the concept of pedomorphosis in design, they are somehow distinguished. But this I will try to formulate during this thesis.
Tuesday 11 August 2009
Paedomorphosis and Anthropomorphism II
I come back to the relation between Paedomorphosis and Anthropomorphism, as I have clarify it. I had questioned myself before days if paedomorposis is a special case of anthropomorpism. Paedomorphosis is a natural phenomenon, which affect the morphology of vital organisms. Antropomorphism is a human attribution to living beings,objects, natural phenomena and abstract concepts with human characteristics. Therefore, it is related with philosophy, religion and even psychology.
The interesting thing is that this two different phenomena have similar morphological expressions. And I assume that it is very hard to difference the one from the other, especially when it comes to product design.
The interesting thing is that this two different phenomena have similar morphological expressions. And I assume that it is very hard to difference the one from the other, especially when it comes to product design.
Tuesday 4 August 2009
Design movements
I was wondering if the movement of streamline design is closely connected with abstract anthropomorphism. Specially the transportations design of that era have hidden anthropomorphic elements. Also 40's and 50's american design, with Fiestaware first and then Tupperware, by using a totally different color pallete than the acceptable ones, created a new great market success,with which subarbs probably would not be a sucess today.
On the other hand, you have modernism with simplicity and basic forms which are related also with child perseption and development. For example Bauhaus toys in relation with Johannes Itten's theory of colour. Simple forms, colors, shapes and materials. Can this be actually the begin of childlike design?
On the other hand, you have modernism with simplicity and basic forms which are related also with child perseption and development. For example Bauhaus toys in relation with Johannes Itten's theory of colour. Simple forms, colors, shapes and materials. Can this be actually the begin of childlike design?
First loose thoughts
It seems that the block is going to be a kind of my notebook ... it is easier to write down sponteneous thoughts here. So here we go...
Going through design encyclopedias I have bump into many cases of products -specialty children toys- which presents the oppossite or maybe somekind of form of the phenomeno of paedomorphosis. A detailed translated reality into a smaller scale. Trains, cities, human beings, objects and animals transformed to a mini-scale and they sucessfully become the best friends of kids. Do not know how this can be a part of my research but for sure it is an important element contradictable or not.
Going through design encyclopedias I have bump into many cases of products -specialty children toys- which presents the oppossite or maybe somekind of form of the phenomeno of paedomorphosis. A detailed translated reality into a smaller scale. Trains, cities, human beings, objects and animals transformed to a mini-scale and they sucessfully become the best friends of kids. Do not know how this can be a part of my research but for sure it is an important element contradictable or not.
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