I am currently interested in the tension between two polarities, the generic and the essential. Both concepts are about a search for meaning, one through generalization, the other through specificity. Both are reductionist. And, both are critical forces in the creative process.
With any adaptation comes conflict and contradiction. A change to an existing object may threaten to change its perception as a particular kind of thing, fundamentally altering the perception of what it is.
As I continue to evolve my definition of adaptability, I keep returning to the object as a fundamental element. Our recognition of an object as a type is based on what I will call its class integrity—the degree to which its attributes overlap with those of its object class. As an object adapts in form and shape, its semantic qualities must predominantly match those of its object class, in order for it to be continuously recognized as a particular type. Read the rest of this entry >
Over the years, a wealth of data has become available online. With the accessibility of this raw information comes the incentive to understand its relevance or significance. Beyond making it engaging and interesting, there is, more than ever, a need for providing interpretation and perspective. Fundamentally, interpretation is a form of information control.
Following the train of thought from Browsing informal hierarchies, this post investigates visualization as navigation. When can navigation double as visualization and provide the user with visual cues reflecting the organization of content on a web site or another digital media device? Already in use on many web sites, informal hierarchies have the potential to replace the widely used static, tabular navigation and its often arbitrarily determined categories with a more flexible and adaptive device, one which not only is more effective in orienting users within a particular hierarchy, but is also an iconic representation of the web site itself, providing a distinct visual identity which people will recognize.
A border is generally seen as a line of separation. A line, however, is a theoretical construct. A border is in fact an area, defined by its own boundaries—boundaries which are themselves areas. Interpreted this way, borders can be compared to fractals. Ranging from the infinitely large to the infinitely small, borders create further borders—geographically, as well as conceptually. Read the rest of this entry >