Aesthetics in Computational Design A reflection on Max Bense’s theory on aesthetics of information and state of things

Aesthetics in Computational Design A reflection on Max Bense’s theory on aesthetics of information and state of things

Spaeth, A. Benjamin

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Current dominance of functionalist and performance related approaches tocomputational design and methods in architecture are investigated under theprecondition of Max Bense's theory of aesthetic potential. Establishing Bense'staxonomy of aesthetic potential and applying it to selected computationalmethods the level of aesthetic potential within the different computationalapproaches is investigated. Frei Otto's soap bubble experiments serve as areference to illustrate different levels of aesthetic potential. Bense's aestheticpotential, which lies not in the eye of the beholder but is immanent to the objectitself as a property of the object, suggests that computational design systemssynthesising objects based on rules or embedded constraints appear to eitherhave little aesthetic potential or receive their aesthetic potential form the outsideof the computational system, namely the interaction with the user. Evolutionarydesign systems appear to create objects or processes with a certain aestheticpotential within Bense's theoretical framework.

Current dominance of functionalist and performance related approaches tocomputational design and methods in architecture are investigated under theprecondition of Max Bense's theory of aesthetic potential. Establishing Bense'staxonomy of aesthetic potential and applying it to selected computationalmethods the level of aesthetic potential within the different computationalapproaches is investigated. Frei Otto's soap bubble experiments serve as areference to illustrate different levels of aesthetic potential. Bense's aestheticpotential, which lies not in the eye of the beholder but is immanent to the objectitself as a property of the object, suggests that computational design systemssynthesising objects based on rules or embedded constraints appear to eitherhave little aesthetic potential or receive their aesthetic potential form the outsideof the computational system, namely the interaction with the user. Evolutionarydesign systems appear to create objects or processes with a certain aestheticpotential within Bense's theoretical framework.

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DOI: 10.5151/proceedings-ecaadesigradi2019_669

Referências bibliográficas

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Como citar:

Spaeth, A. Benjamin; "Aesthetics in Computational Design A reflection on Max Bense’s theory on aesthetics of information and state of things", p-855-862. In: Proceedings of 37 eCAADe and XXIII SIGraDi Joint Conference, “Architecture in the Age of the 4Th Industrial Revolution”, Porto 2019, Sousa, José Pedro; Henriques, Gonçalo Castro; Xavier, João Pedro (eds.). São Paulo: Blucher, 2019.
ISSN 23186968, DOI 10.5151/proceedings-ecaadesigradi2019_669