D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson's Generative Influences in Art, Design, and Architecture: From Forces to Forms

(Paperback)

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Scottish zoologist DArcy Wentworth Thompsons visionary ideas in On Growth and Form continue to evolve a century after its publication, aligning it with current developments in art and science. Practitioners, theorists, and historians from art, science, and design reflect on his ongoing influence. Overall, the anthology links evolutionary theory to form generation in both scientific and cultural domains. It offers a close look at the ways cells, organisms, and rules become generative in fields often otherwise disconnected. United by Thompsons original exploration of how physical forces propel and shape living and nonliving forms, essays range from art, art history, and neuroscience to architecture, design, and biology. Contributors explore how translations are made from the discipline of biology to the cultural arena. They reflect on how Thompsons study relates to the current sciences of epigenesis, self-organization, biological complex systems, and the expanded evolutionary synthesis. Cross-disciplinary contributors explore the wide-ranging aesthetic ramifications of these sciences. A timeline links the history of evolutionary theory with cultural achievements, providing the reader with a valuable resource.

Reviews

DArcy Wentworth Thompsons Generative Influences in Art, Design, and Architecture offers a significant contribution in its explication of the interrelationships between art, architecture, design, and biology and in situating Thompsons biological model within a broad cultural frame. * Woman's Art Journal *
DArcy Wentworth Thompson, in his beautifully written book, On Growth and Form, describes how if artists wanted to look for beauty in nature, they would have to turn to science. The present new volume is a fitting tribute to this accomplished thinker. * Arthur I. Miller, Emeritus Professor of History & Philosophy of Science, University College London, UK and author of "The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity" *
The life and work of DArcy Wentworth Thompson is a reminder of what can be achieved when we remove the silos into which so many academic disciplines have been confined. By revealing Thompsons immense influence, this book offers a profound argument for the interdependence of art, science and technology. * Eleanor Heartney, Contributing Editor, Art in America and Artpress, USA *

Author Bio

Ellen K. Levy is an independent artist and scholar in New York, USA. Charissa N. Terranova is Associate Professor of Aesthetic Studies, University of Texas at Dallas, USA.