Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 6. Anna Ursyn, “Ideas and Dogmas” (© 2003, A. Ursyn. Used with permission).
NATURE DERIVED METAPHORS
SERVING AS THE ENRICHMENT
OF INTERDISCIPLINARY MODELS
AND ARCHITECTURE
chains of polymers characteristic of the nucleic
acids (such as a double helix of the ribonucleic
acid, RNA, the deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA)
or other protein molecules with a helical form
(displaying a helix - a curve drawn on a conical
or cylindrical plane). We are fully aware that in
reality configuration of molecules is ever changing
and dynamic, but a double helix metaphor helps
us grasp the essence of the protein structure. In
contrast to photography, metaphorical visualiza-
tion supports understanding of the invisible fac-
tors and not so much the real appearance of the
object under scrutiny. Metaphors that draw from
natural objects address our imagination in a great
scope of formal, conceptual, geometrical and
literary arrangements. Mateo and Sauter (2007)
present diverse design approaches taken by the
cross-disciplinary teams that address theoretical,
material, and artistic challenges by finding cor-
relations between nature and architectural design.
Natural metaphors organize and structure infor-
mation in a meaningful way. They combine the
creative imagery with the analytic rationality of
conceptual diagrams. Most of metaphors we en-
counter or create are shaped upon natural forms.
A spiral pattern, the helical curve, or a helicoidal
shape are visible on a conical plane of a mollusk
shell or an extinct fossil of an ammonite, while
the concentric forms can be found on mussels;
they may be described as geometrical curves or
mathematical equations. These forms are familiar
and because of that natural metaphors reside in
thought as instinctively understandable concepts
(Mateo & Sauter, 2007) and may help in visual-
ization of complex structures such as the spiral
