Form & Pattern in Nature
Course Description:
This course addresses aspects of form and pattern in nature based especially on the botanical work of Goethe (who coined the term "morphology"), as well as the classic studies of D'Arcy Thompson ("On Growth and Form"), the mathematics of Fibonacci, the environmental art of Andy Goldsworthy, new developments in pattern analysis, fractal geometry and chaos theory, and other contributions. Students explore the nature of cognition and examine in detail plant and animal morphology from aesthetic, functional, and phenomenological perspectives and ultimately apply these observations to an understanding of landscape quality and sense of place. Selected form elements, such as the sphere and spiral, which recur throughout nature, are also studied, as well as the fluid dynamics of water. In addition, students are introduced to the application of projective geometry as a tool to understand the qualitative features and interrelationships of natural forms and the processes of metamorphosis. We will have several local field trips, and each student is required to complete a final project that elaborates a theme from the course.
