Synergy, Symbiosis and Fanto-symbiosis:

As part of my research I have been looking at synergy; the idea of things working together to create something greater than the sum of its two parts (dictionary.com, 2012). In an article by Peter A Corning , Nature’s Magic, he talks about the idea of synergy and the many examples of its existence in nature. He describes Synergy as being one of the great governing principals of the natural world (Corning, 2003), later going on to suggest that the system of synergy has played a vital role in the evolution of the universe and has influenced the trajectory of life on earth significantly.U

Unlike laws of nature, being rigid, predictable and containing parameters, Corning suggests that the trend of Synergy is open-ended and creative (Corning, 2003, pg2). The difference between natural law and natural synergy is that it can occur randomly, it is “...shaped by the immediate functional advantages- the ‘payoffs’- arising from various forms of synergy” (Coring, 2003, pg2).

Symbiosis is a form of synergy but where the two parts (or more) are organic; two organisms joining together to become more successful as a partnership then they would have as individuals (earthlife.net, 2010).  When these organisms come together and form a single visibly defined body they are called a thallus (britishlichens.co.uk, 2011). The Lichen is a good example of a symbiotic relationship; the combination of an algae and fungi. The fungi benefits by absorbing sugars from the algae and the algae gets protection from the weather as the fungi usually forms the other surface, but also in cases where the lichen forms on a tree, the algae benefits from the fungi’s ability to attach to the tree (earthlife.net, 2010). Lichen has the ability to grow in hospitable environments due to the partnership of the algae and fungi, where as individual organisms they would not survive.

An example of how synergy and symbiosis has been used in the genre of fantasy is in the iPhone game DragonVale, by Back Flip Studios. The game is based on the idea of caring for and breeding magical dragons. Breeding two dragons together results in a new species being created. For example, by breeding together a basic Cold Dragon with a basic Plant Dragon, results in a Lichen Dragon being born.

DragonVale: Breeding a Lichen Dragon (Backflip Studios, 2011)

In this adaptation of synergy/symbiosis two fantasy creatures infused with the power of different elements, when bred together, create a brand new fantasy creature based on the lichen. Two basic dragons mate and produce a more powerful duel elemental dragon.

Another variation of synthesis that Corning talks about is that of Tensegrity within the body. Also known as tensional integrity, Tensegrity refers to the way the forces of compression and tension work together synergistically to maintain structural integrity. He goes on to talk about how our bones, muscles and tendons work together to give us structural stability and mobility. Actin filaments work within our body’s cells to counteract pulling forces and microtubules resist compression (Corning, 2003, Pg3-4). Although separately they work against different forces, together they prevent our cells from pulling apart or being crushed; opposite actions working together to create a positive outcomes.

At the end of Corning’s Prologue he briefly talks about the idea of negative synergy or dysergy (Corning, 2003, Pg6).  He suggests that synergy does not always work in a positive way. I thought about this idea of negative synergy and tried to think of some examples. One example of could be that of genetic mutation. In a study put together by the United States Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE) in 1996, they talk about the effects on the human body due to the introduction of radiation. Their findings were that after the body came into contact with radiation it may not always kill the cells- in some cases it would cause the cells to mutate (ACHRE, 1996, Pg25). This could be used as an example of Negative synergy/symbiosis, where by the two bodies of radiation and the human cell come together resulting in a new existence with negative consequences. The idea of genetic mutation die to radiation has been used in several films, one of the more famous examples being Godzilla, and its numerous remakes over the years. A more positive example of radiation symbiosis are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, part of a comic book by Mirage Studios, 1984.

I think this idea of synergy and symbiosis is a good starting point when designing for fantasy. In our everyday lives we are surrounded by examples of synergy; from bees gathering pollen from flowers, enabling pollination and the production of honey, to two individuals working on their MA project together enabling them to create something better than they would have alone (the example being myself and Hannah). Even if we don’t know the word synergy we are still familiar with the concept. In a previous post I quoted Sean Myatt, a Puppetry and Digital Animation tutor at NTU, saying “to create fantasy you first have to create reality, once you have that, its the process of breaking it where fantasy is made”. To create convincing reality you could use the idea of synergy, creating intertwining ecosystems in landscapes, habitats for animals and complex organic relationships and then once this is done breaking it with the addition of a fantasy element; for example as part of my design for The Wood Between the Worlds I created some trees that grow on floating cogs- the relationship here being that the tree has a stable base from which it can grow, and the cog collects water from the tree resulting in a pool forming, a pool to another world (see storyline). The two cannot function properly without each other, showing a co-dependant relationship.

If we were to give this fantasy based synergy/symbiosis a name it could be Fanto-synergy or Fanto-symbiosis. This would then allow designers to refer to the specific act of designing symbiotic relationships with a fantasy twist. I will try and investigate some more examples of fanto-symbiosis.




Backflip Studios, 2011. Lichen Dragon breeding [edited online image] Available at: http://dragonvale.wikia.com/wiki/Lichen_Dragon [Accessed on 14/07/12]

Corning, P.A (2003) Nature’s Magic: The New Evolutionary Paradigm, Prologue [Online PDF] Cambridge University Press. Available at: http://www.complexsystems.org/pdf/prologue.pdf [Accessed 14/07/2012]

United States Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (1996) Human Radiation Experiments. Oxford University Press, USA

British Lichens, 2011. What are Lichens. [online] Available at:  http://www.britishlichens.co.uk/whatarelichens.html [Accessed on 14/07/12]

Dictionary.com, 2012. Synergy meaning. [online] Available at  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/synergy [Accessed on 14/07/12]

Earthlife.net, Gordon Ramel, 2010. What is a Lichen?? [online] Available at http://www.earthlife.net/lichens/lichen.html [Accessed on 14/07/12]