Abitare le forme

Morphology is a cross-disciplinary science aimed at describing, comparing and classifying affinities and differences, structures and forms. In linguistics, morphological analysis applies to the grammatical structure of words, in botany it studies plant components, in biology the appearance of living organisms, in anatomy internal parts, in geology the origin and the evolution of the earth surface. Why study design through the science of forms? Is it only a way of identifying the fluctuating layers of objects? Or is it also an action aimed to understand their value in favour of the preservation of heritage and the culture of recycling? Aren’t knowledge and comparison the bases for a vision of the future and should they not then imply design? The lecture outlines the main theories associated with the discipline and suggests that objects may be studied through a methodology transfer, for a scientific approach to design. The essay is included in the volume Lezioni di Design. Manuale didattico di economia, sociologia, comunicazione, scienze esatte, ingegneria, scienze umanistiche, tecnologie, laboratori per il design (Lectures on Design. Handbook on Economy, Sociology, Communication, Exact Sciences, Engineering, Humanities, Technology, Laboratories for Design ), conceived and edited by Dal Falco. The thirty lectures collected in the book are representative of the theoretical and applicational teachings relevant to the major scientific/disciplinary sectors constituting the pillars of design-specific across-the-board training. The interconnected themes treated refer to lines of study and research ranging from sociological, economic and communication-related to exact sciences; from humanities to technology, to design methodologies. Each input is ascribable to design: that action which, in producing material and immaterial artefacts, makes use of a number of materials, the specificities of which play an ongoing active role up to the final synthesis; a treasure chest containing imagination, reasoning, knowledge, methods, abilities. Dal Falco has also written the afterworld of the volume which, in addition to clarifying the underlying ideas, methods and graphic design, briefly outlines the content of the thirty essays.

La morfologia è una scienza trasversale a molte discipline il cui obiettivo è descrivere, comparare e catalogare affinità e differenze, strutture e forme. L’analisi morfologica si applica in ambito linguistico alla struttura grammaticale delle parole, in botanica studia le componenti delle piante, in biologia l’aspetto esteriore degli organismi viventi, in anatomia le parti interne, in geologia l’origine e l’evoluzione della superficie terrestre. A cosa serve studiare il design attraverso la scienza delle forme? E’solo un modo per conoscere le stratificazioni fluttuanti degli oggetti? O è anche un atto di comprensione del loro valore a favore della tutela del patrimonio e della cultura del recupero? Ma la conoscenza e la comparazione non sono il fondamento della visione del futuro ed implicano quindi un’attività progettuale? La lezione traccia una panoramica sulle principali teorie legate alla disciplina e propone di studiare gli oggetti attraverso un trasferimento di metodologie per un approccio scientifico al design.