Biomimicry Proposal

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Nature as Mentor

Biological science writer Janine Benyus defines biomimicry as the "conscious emulation of life's genius." Resourceful and imaginative by necessity, nature is

the consummate engineerÐ'--having already provided elegant, economical solutions to many of the problems we contend with today. Animals, plants, and microbesÐ'-- alone, and in concert with one anotherÐ'--have determined what works, what is appropriate, and what will withstand the test of time. We needn't look far to

see some of our technological advances mirrored inÐ'--and in most cases, outdone byÐ'--nature, whether it's t architectural beams in bamboo stems or t central

heating and cooling in the termite tower's steady 86 degrees. Even man's greatest invention, t the wheel, can be found in the tiny rotary motor that propels bacteria.

While industry leaders are beginning to mine nature for innovations in arenas

as diverse as material science, manufacturing, technology, product design, and architecture, graphic designers have largely ignored nature's possibilities.

Through my endeavors, I hope to demonstrate that nature's modelsÐ'--be they

t forms, t systems, or t behaviorsÐ'--propose an inspired framework from which

to construct work endowed with both life and spirit.

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t Forms

Architect Louis Sullivan once expressed his belief in what he interpreted as

"natural law"Ð'--that the very essence of every problem contains and proposes

its own solution. It was he who first coined the dictum "form follows function",

and nowhere is the inextricable relationship among behaviors, systems, and forms more apparent than within nature. It follows suit that artists, architects, and design practitioners would have the impulse, conscious or not, to borrow forms from the natural world.

t Nature's forms are as diverse as they are vast. Poul Henningsen's modernist pendant lamp played a critical role in the advancement of modern lighting, and owes this acclaim to the structure of the artichoke. Multiple tiers of overlapping "leaves" produce crisp light from 360 degrees without exposing the user to the glare of a naked bulb.

t The function of an object often reveals itself through the interdependent relationship of its component parts. Rosebud No. 3 features a miniature version integrated into the larger whole. It mimics the symbiotic connection between parent and child, body and appendage, and core and shell.

t The variation of physical forms is yet another principle inherent to nature. No two snowflakes are structurally alike. t Similarly, Graphic Thought Facility's revolving identity for a cafÐ"© by Marks & Spencer is characterized by t individual marks, each one hand-generated and slightly different from the next.

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t Systems

An organism's ability to survive largely depends on its capacity to balance

flexibility and adaptability with conservative resource use. Standardized forms

create efficient organizational systems, as is most evident in the structure of a honeycomb or the scales of a fish.

t Grid systems exemplify the diversity made possible through innumerable

combinations of elements.

t The term "metabolism" is defined as "the chemical change by which energy

is provided for vital processes and new material is assimilated." To the Japanese architects who founded the Metabolist movement of the 60s, it meant creating

a modular system that could live and grow by discarding its outdated parts and regenerating newer, more viable elements. Kisho Kurokawa designed the first capsule tower in Tokyo. t Units are detachable, replaceable, and can be installed with only four tension bolts.

t Similar in concept, but not in form, is the Bouroullec brothers' space-dividing system modeled after the organic forms of seaweed. Algues comprises identical units that can be attached to one another to form any number of t shapes, sizes, and t densities to achieve the desired light filtration and degree of privacy.

t Organizational systems can also benefit from less-rigid, non-modular

configurations. Activist and urban theorist Jane Jacobs argued that the economic, social, and political health of cities depends largely on the organic, spontaneous

interactions among its constituents. In Lygia Pape's performance, a swarm of heads emerges from a white canvas as they move throughout a space.