Isao Hosoe Lecture
Lecture Recording
Introduction
The presentation focused on philosophical approach to design. By focusing on the current state of neomadic design, new nomadic design, we are able to combine design and culture. Isao Hosoe mentions that if designers want to know the future, they have to study the past. He believes that “design is [the] discovery of new typology of objects.”
Lecture Ideas
Fluidity
Before the word, design, existed, architects and engineers used the term project. “In Greek, PRO in project means to aim towards [the future] and JECT means to throw like a rock [into the future]. When we design, we are [proclaiming] the future.” Design cannot regard the past. When we project a rock into a pond, fluid surface, ripples would radial around the position; some elements goes to the future and some goes to the past. When a person throws a rock towards a glass, it creates crack in all directions. Crack becomes a static element which has no anima (living energy), in comparison the ripple is dynamic. “Fluidity gives life, as water is an essential in our lives. To consider design as [part of] human animation, we have to understand the characteristics of fluid substances.”
History
In Buddhism, there is two Mandala figures that signifies the religion: one being Diamond Mandala and another being Womb Mandala. When we consider Diamond Mandala, it is a grid management hierarchy that represents the Budda as the supreme of the diagram. The analogy is from human’s head. In contrast, Womb Mandala is not a grid but the Budda is located in the middle diagram as like the womb. Womb Mandala does not rely on the head but rather the whole structure, the body. In these figures, Budda does not want to portray the bi-polar opposites but an impression of working in a combination of two Mandala structures. In understanding, designers should consider this analogy in the interventions.
200,000 years ago, we were nomadic hunter culture. Fragments of the time has been either lost or destroyed. 10000 years ago, we were part of agricultural culture. The society has passed 200 years of industrial revolution and moving in direction of industrial culture. We live in a stable culture that built around rules and guidelines; we begin move into NEOMAIC CULTURE.
Neomadic Culture
For designers to understand the future, they have to know the future. Metaphorically, think about an arrow pulled back on a bow, before the flight. Taking that metaphor, designers are able to learn about the future by going back to the past. Bricollage is part of Neomadic cultural resources. For example, the Hebi lamp is bought from existing components that have been placed together. Bricollage is a powerful activity, “we have a lot of knowledge and energy [for] us to invent.”
In Neomadic culture, we deal with 8 senses. The first 5 senses are the same senses an 6th, 7th, and 8th senses are elaborations. 6th sense is unconscious sense, where process an activity without definite notification. 7th sense is emotive sense, mana-sense, “emotions covering our ego,” and real emotions are influenced by the ego. Last is the 8th sense, Alaya-sense, it is an accumulation of past experiences going back to the culture and ancestors. When designing, humans are touching the deep essence of experience and behavior.
Neomadic culture can be sustained by everyday human activities, and creating behavior energy. Behavior energy is not only for humans; it’s a term that is consistent for all matters. As a designer, there is a hope to maximize matters’ and humans’ behavior energy. Neomadic culture can be part of our history, if humans were to make enriching contributions. If we were to design, we have to understand the current state of our society. Humans are similar to plastic. As like human organisms, it is made from animal petroleum. Humans are related to plastic. Designers should utilize materials, like plastic, to its important use.