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October 06, 2005
Thinking Inside the (Wire) Wheel
Buckminster Fuller gives us plenty to think about in his musings on the Wire Wheel and Tensegrity. Although I found his use of the wire wheel structure as a basis for geodesic design fascinating, I was more intrigued about what he (and by extension, his work) had to say about the status quo's resistance to new ideas if they stand in opposition to commonly accepted principles, even if those new ideas are derived out of actual lived experience and observation.
For myself, as someone new to any type of formal training in design theory and principles, I find it refreshing to read the work of someone who urges us to trust what we see and experience, even if others in the field of study we are concerned with, find it disruptive or unfeasible. The freedom to trust what you experience yourself is what seems to have driven Fuller to investigate forms that others found inexplainable. Now, of course, many of Fuller's principles are part of the accepted body of architecture "knowledge." I find it both fascinating and liberating that by continuing to develop his ideas in directions other initially resisted, he was able to truly make a difference, both in his field and in any creative activity where risk must remain part of the equation to truly create something that engages and, in many cases, might even frighten people.
Posted by Fernando Cervantes at October 6, 2005 02:01 PM