The Art of Seeing into Design

The link between art and design is blurring in my current architectural explorations. As you can see in the set of images above, I am engaging as artist to see more deeply into the environment as a designer. On the left, you can see a drawing I created while studying the root system of a tree. And on the right, you can see how I translate this root system into a speculative architectural design façade that seems as if to grow organically – as architectural form.

It is through drawing that one can see anew. For example, by sketching the root system I became aware of organic bark texture patterns, and root growth patterns that I did not see by simply looking. It was through the art of drawing that I saw, and then later became able to translate these findings into a drawing of an “architectural organic façade growth” – which I also created by using an artistic way of seeing. Thus, one can use art to see into what exists and is already built to inform a design, and one can use art to see into one’s own design visions as held in the mind. In both cases, the art of seeing into design is a powerful methodology.

Seeing into design as an artist is critical for the discovery of new poetic experience innovation, and is opening up exciting channels by which to continue my environmental design research. I look forward to sharing more of my speculative design art with you, as my research continues to deepen in this way.