Importance of the Shape of Things

Serena Cuoghi
Title of Professor of Biology

From the perspective of geometry and the physical aspect of the material world, and not in terms of the way of doing and proceeding, the form appears as a suggestive element, capable of the deepest connection between the appearance of the external and the imaginary representation that we build in our mind. The form plays such a transcendental role in our perceptive capacity that it is not only captured through sight, but also, through the perception capacity haptics of touch, reveals as much information as if we were observing the object with our own eyes, but making use of the vision with which the imagination is capable of constructing images, so experiencing this type of activity becomes a very useful exercise when it comes to enhancing skills mental.

In this same sense, the set of kinesthetic and tactile abilities that allow us such a definition of the form, reveals the importance that this has had throughout our own evolution as a species, through a permanent construction of the mental development of the interpretation of the image and space, and the evolution of the capacity mechanics and motor of our body, for which reason the consideration of form, as a property of matter, has permanently conditioned human behavior itself and its development.

the language of touch

Through this deep connection between form and our perceptual capacity, people with visual difficulties and disabilities can perceive much of the reality of their environment in a way that allows them to perform with great skill, functionality and efficiency, despite being in the midst of societies focused on the permanent use of information. view.

Cognitive and perceptual plasticity also makes things easier when faced with the need to stimulate one sense over and above the deficiencies of another, a condition that is becoming more and more considered, both from the scientific approach, and from the human valuation itself, generating new spaces and technological advances that promote the inclusion of people with visual difficulties.

evoking sensations

Undoubtedly for art, the form represents the basis of everything within each of the artistic constructions, being through it that the persistent concepts in the symbols are formulated, in this way each represented image is linked to the graphic notion of the idea it expresses, hence the outstanding importance that the use of form and its aesthetic transformation have had throughout the history of art. art.

Either visually or through the use of touch, the capture of the form becomes a fact of interpretation by the deepest levels of our mind, finding there its association with the multiple emotions that constitute the personality. For example, a round object tends to inspire the desire to be taken more easily than a cubic object, and this corresponds to the fact that in our brain there are memories associated with spherical objects that evoke pleasant memories, such as balls we used to play with when we were little, while sharp and pointed objects immediately suggest a sense of danger.

organically more natural

This knowledge that is also considered within the neurosciences constitutes an essential part within the world of design, therefore, the understanding of the how the shape of objects impacts on people, influences today the development of all existing products on the market, which are designed considering more and more its presentation in terms of the ergonomics of its use, as well as the aesthetics that can more effectively promote its commercialization.

In this way, the very psycho-emotional affinity for how we perceive the form has been guiding the production of articles towards an increasingly organic presence in recent decades, that is to say, with an image oriented towards what is most naturally pleasing to our mind, through the evocation of a graphic association with the elements of which the image itself Nature has offered us in terms of form according to the different landscapes, all with the purpose of making it irresistible to acquire the product, regardless of whether it is physical or digital.

References

Alexander, C. (1986). Essay on the synthesis of form (Vol. 5). Infinity Editions.

Bennett, R. (1999). Form and Design (Vol. 5). AKAL Editions.

Bodei, R. (2019). The shape of the beautiful (Vol. 91). Antonio Machado Books.

Ching, F. D., & Castan, S. (1998). Architecture: form, space and order (p. 278). Gustavo Gili.