The Search for 'Real' Form

My early experiences with photography led me to understand the distinction between 'real' form and its appearance in time and space. As a young graphic designer, I shot landscapes colored with various filters and still lifes exposed by moving light (Fig. 1). Little did I know that the primitive hand-held scanner I was using-a small flashlight-would anticipate much of my later work. Working with the camera as a technical tool enriched my perception of nature and opened up the possibility of discovering new forms-of trees, flowers or clouds. At the time, the flashlight was another indispensable tool for discovering form through light. Thus my search for 'real' form began with photography. My orientation is rather eclectic. I gained a wealth of experience from emulating others: Cartier-Bresson, Capa and Weston. But I was intrigued most by experimentalists like Man Ray, Moholy-Nagy and Kepes, especially his generative photography. In the work of the first group, I liked the subject matter, the 'memorized' moments (the choice of a precise moment) and the play between light and shadow; in that of the second group, I admired their research and construction of form and pattern and their use of technology in constructing images. At this crossroads, I paused, then chose the way of continuous experimentation. For me, the photographic experience is important because I learned to observe reality using the machine, my

Architecture and Computational Design · Chaos, Complexity, and Education · Computer Science · Design Education and Practice

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