The 30th Design Fundamentals Seminar: Designing 'place' through Aesthetics

If the work of aesthetics (the study of sense) is to discover and articulate new sensibilities through collaboration with people, objects, and nature, all different from oneself, then collaborative ‘places’ are generated in this process. I would like to consider these places and their design from the perspective of aesthetics.

Lecturer

Fuminori AKIBA（Professor, Nagoya University）

Born 1966, Okayama, Japan. Specialized in aesthetics. He got a Ph.D (Literature) from the Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University (Aesthetics and Art History). Currently, he researches what happiness means in a future society and what aesthetics and art theories can do to achieve it. He published several works including E no Kofuku (Pictorial Happiness: A Study of Sitara Tomoaki, Misuzu Shobo, 2020) and Atarashii Bigaku wo Tsukuru (Making A New Aesthetics, Misuzu Shobo, 2011), among others.

Date

July 24. 2024 wed. 18:00~20:00（Opening from 17:45）

Venue

Design Commons 2F, Kyushu Univ. Ohashi Campus + Online

*All interested parties are free to attend. If you wish to attend, please apply using this application form (lectures will be given in Japanese only).

*If you wish to participate online, the URL and other information will be sent to the address you entered in the form above on the day of the event. Please download the latest version of Zoom in advance.

Host

Center for Design Fundamentals Research, School of Design, Kyushu University

Co-host: Future Design Course, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University

Review

The relationship between design and aesthetics often leaves me perplexed. Design is typically perceived as a practice or product with utilitarian purposes, while aesthetics is usually regarded as a specialized field of philosophical and speculative discourses concerning art (which is certainly true). Whenever I address students in my ‘Design Aesthetics’ class, I am struck by the conflict between these two concepts. And it was one of the reasons I invited Prof. Akiba to give a lecture.

In the announcement of Akiba’s talk, titled ‘Designing Place through Aesthetics,’ he defined aesthetics as “to discover and articulate new sensibilities through collaboration with people, objects, and nature, all different from oneself.” This definition offers a solution to the conflict mentioned above. The instances in which we encounter “people, objects, and nature different from ourselves” extend beyond the boundaries of an art museum or gallery. These effects can also occur during a mundane and boring (?) lecture at university, in communicating with people at the office or home, or while using tools, computers, and other objects by oneself. If a ‘sensibility’ emerges in any of these situations, it becomes evident that aesthetics is intimately linked to design—far beyond mere ‘beauty.’

However, it is our relationship with nature that Akiba’s lecture particularly emphasized. Recently, aesthetics has reclaimed its original meaning as the ‘study of sensibility’ and has expanded beyond its traditional focus on art. Simultaneously, artworks have taken a critical stance toward the rise of advanced technology and political discord. Akiba noted that, at least a decade ago, he experienced significant discomfort with these trends.

In his book Atarashii Bigaku wo Tsukuru (Making A New Aesthetics, Misuzu Shobo, 2011), he presents a new perspective on natural computing and its ‘algorithms’ in contrast to conventional views of art, which center on contemplation before a specific ‘form’. This concept, originally elaborated by computer scientist Dr. Yasuhiro Suzuki, refers to certain procedures integral to the transition of natural phenomena, as opposed to advanced computational processing aimed at predetermined solutions. One of the examples is the relationship among plants (cabbage), insect pests (knapweed larvae), and natural enemies (knapweed bees). When cabbage is attacked by larvae, it detects components of their saliva and activates a biochemical response to emit a scent that attracts predatory midges for the larvae. This fascinating relationship supports the diversity and balance of ecosystems, but more crucially, it illustrates that these processes must unfold in a specific order and sequence. Akiba terms these processes ‘natural computing’ and argues for importing its ‘algorithms’ from natural science and informatics into aesthetics in place of the privileged forms.

This notion of natural computing is distinct from arbitrary information processing, as seen in computers, and instead shifts focus to the intrinsic procedures and mechanisms within natural phenomena where particular information is generated. According to Akiba, these processes followed in their sophisticated order in natural phenomena invoke elements often overlooked in artistic practices since the modern era.

Historically, from the 20th century onward, many artworks have critiqued the political, economic, and scientific landscapes of their time or become complex intellectual puzzles. The division between liberal arts (intellectual) and mechanical arts (handcrafted) during the Renaissance gave rise to the concept of ‘fine art,’ a distinction further solidified by 18th-century aesthetics. While fine art encompassed poetry, music, painting, and sculpture, mechanical art evolved into what we now consider natural science, facilitating observation and repetition beyond human limitations. As if in response to this, fine art morphed into ‘contemporary art’ in the early 20th century, often adopting a critical stance toward science, technology, and authorized institutions. This shift has, at times, severed the bond between art and nature, restricting artistic practice to an isolated realm.

However, this is not a call for a return to the past Fine Art. Rather, the idea of natural computing encourages a contemporary re-examination of the lost connection between art and nature, along with the pleasure it can bring. For example, Walter de Maria’s renowned work Lightning Field (1971-77) is categorized as land art, where he arranged 400 lightning rods at regular intervals across the vast desert, seeking to harness the natural event of lightning. Even if this artwork requires the audience a lot of patience for reservations, travel, and waiting, one may not witness any lightning. Yet, if we interpret this piece as ‘natural computing,’ it becomes a work that embodies an ‘algorithm’ or ‘procedure’ that invokes a natural phenomenon, albeit indirectly (just like the cabbage example).

Akiba refers to this as ‘oracle computing,’ which seeks to induce contingent events through particular procedures, contrasting with ‘constructive computing,’ in which computers explicitly operate. Oracle computing necessitates human participation in a process, but it makes nature’s program activated and operated a posteriori. It may evoke Kant’s famous notion of ‘Purposiveness Without Purpose’ that characterized art, or more simply, it may seem similar to the pre-modern (and irrational) rain-making ritual of summoning natural phenomena by adhering to a procedure. However, Akiba notes similar processes occurring in genetic algorithms and DNA computing by the life sciences, and in contemporary design practices using tactile devices and 3D printers, as well as the sensory communications that attempt to (re)inscribe the art of ‘massage’ into a unique musical score for humans and robots (and it is needless to say that these practices may well relate to the endeavors of our Faculty of Design).

Toward the end of his lecture, Akiba discussed his recent work on the design of ‘place,’ drawing on examples from exhibitions featuring graduates of our Faculty and from projects at Nagoya University, where he is affiliated. Instead of prescribing a specific environment for a defined purpose, he emphasized designing spaces by focusing on relationships such as the synchronization of body movements and breathing rhythms between a blind runner and their guide. Drawing from Japanese philosophy and Buddhist thought, he highlighted the importance of fostering environments where unexpected ideas and solutions can emerge just like lightning.

Naturally, some may argue that we can’t afford such patience in today’s fast-paced world, and others may question how we can practically apply the ‘procedural algorithms’ of natural computing in real-world design. Yet it is precisely because today’s design and society prioritize swift problem-solving that an ‘aesthetics of design’ reconnecting with nature is necessary. One participant remarked after the seminar that, although the topic was challenging, it left a lasting impression that continued to resonate inside his/her mind the following day and be reminded several times. At the very least, it was certain that throughout the seminar, Akiba had designed the place by willingly responding to audience questions and creating a thoughtful atmosphere that encouraged everyone present to make discoveries.

(Nobuhiro MASUDA)