Theory: Biomimicry

“The answers to the questions we’ve been asking...are all around us”

Janine Benyus

Biomimicry is design, inspired by nature. Using the principles of science and investigation, a new wave of designers are identifying how nature can help solve design problems most effectively. Janine Benyus, President of the Biomimicry Institute, is at the forefront of the movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBUpnG1G4yQ

What is Biomimicry? Accessed 24/11/2011 11:09am

Nature has been designing since time began and has been doing so very successfully. Humans on the other hand have been designing awkwardly solving short term problems in the best way we can. Using nature as a blueprint, scientists and designers have been adapting natures design to solve human problems across world. The following are some examples of how natures design has been adapted to improve human design.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Crystal_Palace_from_the_northeast_from_Dickinson's_
Comprehensive_Pictures_of_the_Great_Exhibition_of_1851._1854.jpg

The Crystal Palace accessed 24-11-11  3-37pm

The Crystal Palace, built for the 1851 World Expo by Joseph Paxton, was inspired by the ribbing structure of the giant Amazon Victoria Water Lilly.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpc5ivmjFk1qzs2oxo1_500.png

Amazon victoria water lilly accessed 24-11-11  3-37pm

Using a similar structure that the water lily uses on its giant lily pads, Paxton was able to create the huge greenhouse-like building which due to the amount of glass panelling had never been possible before.

Another example is that of the humpbacked whale. On the whales fins are small bumps, when transferred onto the blades of a wind turbine they increase the efficiency by 32%.

http://www.baltimoreseasafari.ie/data/images/humpback_whale's_pectoral_fin_-_courtesy_of_simon_duggan.jpg

Humpback whale fin accessed 24-11-11  3-38pm

http://wpcore.wpe.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/whale-power.jpg

WintV turbine wing accessed 24-11-11  3-38pm

Biomimicry can also be incorporated into design for film sets too.; adapting patterns, structures, colours, shapes, sizes, textures etc into architecture, furnishings, environments, clothing and so much more. As Jenine Benyus said, the answers are all around us.

Life Drawing: Female 22/11/2011

“There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion”

Francis Bacon

I went to Life Drawing again this week. Its been a while and was a bit difficult to get back into the swing of it but it eventualy came back.

Ive been trying to add some kind of shading to my sketches to try and create a sense of 3D. Ive never been told how to sketch and its proving difficult- I find it hard to identify the dark and light shades (rediculus though that sounds)

Theory: Suspension of Disbelief

“He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.”

Leonardo da Vinci

Suspension of Disbelief is the theory that people will accept something which is unbelievable or fantastic to make sense of a film, story or peace of fictional literature. The theory was put forth by Samuel Taylor Coleridge who was an English poet and aesthetic philosopher. Coleridge suggested that if an author injected an element of truth into a fantastic tale then the reader would be able to accept the story despite its possible implausibility.

This theory links perfectly with my MA project. According Coleridge to make set designs for fantasy films more believable the designer should incorporate elements of truth and reality. Therefore to more successfully design around the idea of nature for film, I should incorporate elements of the natural world.

Suspension of Disbelief is clearly visible in from James Cameron’s Avatar

This is a still from Avatar showing the forest covered planet of Pandora with its colossal trees and humongous plants.

This is an image of the Amazon rainforest. You can see similarities between the Amazon and Pandora. Suspension of Disbelief would suggest that the audience are much more likely to accept Pandora as a believable location because they can use the Amazon as a point of reference from reality.

Here is another scene on Pandora. Amongst the many types of Fauna on Pandora are these gargantuan hanging flowers.

The Pandoran flowers could be variations on the simple Fuchsia. The familiarity of the Fuchsia shape overcomes the fantasy element of a much grander scale, and still allows it to be believable.

The Seeds of the Sacred Tree share a resemblance to Dandelion seeds both in looks and

in character.

White, floating, spiderlike seeds that drift with the wind are not unlike dandelion seeds we can see in our gardens, this then allows the Pandoran seeds to feel natural enough to exist.

The Soul tree is one of the most fantastic elements of the Avatar story, allowing the Na’vi to hear the voices of their ancestors.

The Soul Tree becomes believable because it looks like a stylised Willow Tree. Its appearance as a Willow tree makes it believable because it looks familiar.

Suspension of Disbelief is a useful theory for my project as incorporating the natural world with elements of unbelievable fantasy is the main topic of my MA project. Cognitive Estrangement can also be linked to Suspension of Disbelief as it uses the audience’s ignorance or lack of knowledge to support Suspension of Disbelief. Further Research into this would be useful.

Initial Research: Finding a Story

As part of my project I need to find a text to design for. I’ve known the story to The Magicians Nephew by C. S. Lewis   since I was a young child so I am very familiar with the story, characters and locations. This therefore gives me an advantage If I use this particular story to design for.

This story is the first of the Chronicles of Narnia books, some of which have been made into very successful films. This is a good example therefore of a novel that when adapted for the screen is very popular.

This is my favourite choice of story so far but I will conduct further research into the others.

Mind Maps: Topics of study

To help develop a process of study I drew a quick mind map. It needs filling out a lot more but the general basics are there for my masters project.

Life Drawing: Male 01/11/11

“I chose faces and figures as my subject matter simply due to the fact that the human form is already beautiful art”

Frank Bruno

I think my drawings of the human form are improving nicely now but I still need to work on shading and final rendering techniques. In our tutorial class the other day we asked if we could have some extra classes on location drawing and architectural drawing as the majority of the things I will have to design in the future will be physical spaces and sets rather then people.

Initial Research: Mood Boards

"Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else

has thought."

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi 

I started researching different stories I could use as my text for the year. I wanted a story that was suitable for a younger audience, filled with magic and adventure but still incorporating an element of darkness and mystery. Many of the chosen stories below take root in Mythology so are good subjects for fantasy related design.

The following images are mood boards I created showing themes from each story that could be incorporated into the design. They help show at a glance the overall atmosphere, locations and colour schemes for each story.

I will do further research into each story by making a list of possible sets that could be designed and any design constraints that the texts include within the story.

The Jabberwocky Mood Board

The Magician's Nephew Mood Board

Odd and the Frost Giants Mood Board



The Dream-Quest of the Unknown Kadath Mood Board




The Fairies Mood Board



The Masque of the Red Death Mood Board

The Tree Mood Board