Design
Design is a mental linguistics puzzle. Design, much like conceptual art, uses linguistic theory to pose questions and look for answers. The designer frames the question, and then works within a specified framework to formulate answers.
I am particularly interested in how technology functions as a material. Up til now, technology has been isolated. Technology is accessed through visual interface. It has lived in a box, and we had to use additional tools to manipulate it. As if it were in an isolation chamber, we poke it with remote cursors controlled by magic mice and keyboards. With the advent of touch screen technology, we broke what was commonly a 2’ – 5’ barrier between ourselves and technology into a tiny, millimeter thick piece of glass. Control is now at our fingertips. But we still cannot feel it.
We are human beings and we live in a physical space. We interact with our world in more than just visual input. What signals, for example, let me know how to operate a knife? Visual? Yes. I look at it to see whether it is sharp or dull, a knife or a butter knife. But more importantly, tactile. The weight and balance in my hand let’s me know how to best hold and operate it so that I can focus on not cutting my finger. The subconscious, but essential, tactile cues make the knife a very powerful tool. In a physical world, multi-sensory signals work to create a linguistic system that tells the operator, in this case someone using a knife, how to intuitively operate the tool.
We interact with our world in more than just one sensory dimension. We intuit our world through sight, sound, smell, and touch. If we are truly to take advantage of the power of technology, how can technology be made material? How can technology be physically manifest? And what are the resulting implications?
