JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-05-08T15:35:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-05-08T15:35:55Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-05-08 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10429/2573 | |
| dc.description | This thesis is an investigation that will assist in informing of understanding the impact the hand-eye-mind connection has on designers through the process of hand drawing. Hand drawing is considered to be one of the first steps in the design process that stimulates ideas and creativity (Lyn, 2009). A theoretical approach is being utilized to understand how humans think and process in greater depth, and how our thought process drives design. One’s architectural drawing can be seen as an extension of oneself, thus showing the tendency of the drawn sheet to display a personalized language distinct to the individual that has the ability to be read and realized by those who encounter it (Olsberg, 2020). This will serve as a grounding concept that will assist in understanding the hand-eye-mind connection, which will lead into an exploration of the creative thought process, how we perceive, and how these concepts connect to the architectural discipline on a human level. Architect and thinker Juhani Pallasmaa is a key contributor studied in this area of the architectural discipline. He referenced the hand-eye-mind connection in his novel The Thinking Hand. This is an intimate connection within and outside of oneself. Us as humans are the site of both ideas and architecture, and sketches are embodied images. Utilizing our connection between the hands, eyes, and mind in this work allows us to express our thoughts through drawing as a universal language. Betty Edwards’s Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain played a key role in the formulation of this thesis. Adding onto Pallasmaa’s ideas of the human brain configuration, Edwards’s book addresses creative thinking, networks, and connections. Looking at this in-between realm of our internal thoughts becoming external reality through exploring the creative thought process will add further insight into the understanding of humans and how we think creatively when we are designing. A large body of work read during this investigation revolved around sketching and the importance of hand drawing in the architectural discipline and creative fields alike. A conscious effort in an exploration of media is utilized to address how drawing lends itself to self-identity, perception, and the creative process. Adjunct Professor of Architecture at the University of Oregon Daniel Herbert notes in his novel Architectural Study Drawings that the role of architects is to be the creators of form. He looks at drawing as a language – a concept explored throughout the duration of this thesis. The selection of charcoal as the primary medium of exploration of ideas provides a platform for an introspective making and reflecting process. Through journaling, reflections were made on what was learned, what new connections can be made, and where to go from there. This was a continuous, ever-expanding process that lead to the creation of new networks and intertwining themes to be recognized. This thesis investigation aims to understand how we as designers perceive – uncovering the extent to which our individual perception influences design and shapes the world around us. It also aims to provide deeper insight into the creative thought process, understanding the role hand drawing plays in the creative thought process and the connection between thinking and making. Upon grasping these connections, an exploration of the in-between states of the unseen and seen reveals itself. An internal exploration of the creative process unraveled, exploring this notion of explaining the unexplainables within it – The Unknown, the In-Between, and Here. Understanding this process of how our thoughts become reality will allow a deeper connection between designers and their designs. This thesis aims to advance the understanding of humans and how to embrace our identities in design. Upon recognizing how we think and how we perceive, we will be able to have a deeper connection with ourselves, thus advancing our design capabilities. Attempting to explain the inexplainable will encourage others to do the same. From this thesis, it can be understood that us as humans are the site of ideas and architecture. Everything stems from within us and materializes outside of us with our hands, eyes, and mind. Embracing all parts of this endeavor – comfortable and uncomfortable – will allow for the production of a refined design that is reflective and in tune with ourselves and us as human beings. This body of work utilizes the charcoal media to uncover, discover, and express ideas of self-identity, human mind, and the phases of the creative process. Utilizing an interactive drawing prompt to showcase the beginning of the creative thought process reinforces the point that architecture is an individual interpretation of one’s surroundings. Qualitative observations of architects – their creative process, preliminary sketches, and built forms – will provide insight into the uniqueness of the human mind and begin to discover how an internal thought becomes an external, physical building. To dive into this transition further, a dimensional exploration – taking a two-dimensional drawing and making it three-dimensional and continuing this process – showcases this transition. Throughout this endeavor, documenting and reflecting will serve as a catalogue of the work, providing insight into the unseen becoming seen. These two concepts work in tandem throughout the in-between of idea and architecture. It can be understood that the in-between is an area of exploration and realization, a space facilitating an unapologetic flow of design. Everything in between happens within us and is shown to others through the way we express our thoughts and ideas through drawing. An underlying theme of The Unknown – a universal, shared experience of designers – surfaced during this exploration. A series of letters written to The Unknown as if it were a person was the method utilized to address this topic. As the letters progressed, The Unknown revealed itself as more of a presence, a feeling within us. Understanding what The Unknown means to the individual and embracing it will allow designers to further their creative thoughts and designs free from fear. It could be critiqued that this visionary, phenomenological approach looks more at the process of how one progresses as an individual and as a designer rather than having an end goal, which could be seen as being too broad and left to interpretation, as this thesis aims to acknowledge multiple tangents. As this exploration utilized charcoal as the media, a focus on a different type of media could be an alternative position taken on the topic. This would lend itself to a different perspective on humans and our creative thought process. If it was a collage-based exploration, multiple medias could be used, which has the potential to open different doors than the charcoal media lent itself to. The same could be said if the focus was on pastels, acrylic, oil, sculpture, etc. New medias will lend itself to new findings. This study is primarily an introspective exploration, which could be seen as a limitation in the sense that it focuses on a personal interpretation of self-identity and understanding the hand-eye-mind connection in greater depth. A challenge with researching self-identity and the individual creative process is that it cannot be generalized as it looks different for everyone. Utilizing charcoal as the primary medium for this exploration is beneficial in the sense that it allowed for some parameters to be put in place for the study, presenting a space to experiment with the media and push the limits of it. On the same token, it could be seen as a limitation in the sense that using multiple medias could provide a different perspective on the topic. The principles discussed in this thesis are universal, being applicable to all designers across all medias. Our creativity is what is used to create. This creativity is what makes us human. Exploring humanity through creativity, one begins to understand the human mind. Upon understanding how we think, we begin to understand ourselves as humans. Once understanding this, we begin to understand the human side of the architectural discipline. Architecture indicates qualities of humans during the time the structure was constructed, providing insight into us as humans and how we perceive ourselves and our surroundings. Recognizing the individual process in which we create will reveal the undulation between the seen and unseen in the in-between stages of an idea becoming architecture. Our entire mind and body is utilized during the creative process, thus we as humans become the initial site of architectural work. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | How we think creatively and who we are at our cores is revealed when drawing by hand. It is our duty as designers to produce designs that are in-tune with ourselves and our surroundings. An internal reflection is necessary to achieve this. The understanding of these internal elements of creative thought process of designers, and connecting it back to the architectural discipline on the human level will assist in this reflection. Studies on the hand-eye-mind connection and the creative thought process have been conducted in the architectural realm (Pallasmaa, Edwards, Lyn, Olsberg, Herbert). This thesis aims to build off these findings in a more introspective way using drawing as a language to communicate self-identity, perception, and the in-between realm of the creative thought process. Understanding the creative process at an individual level intends to reveal how thoughts become reality, thus allowing for a deeper connection between designers and their designs. A continuous flow of making, documenting, and reflecting persisted as the main means of uncovering the elements of the creative process and how internal thoughts become external reality. Through this methodology, it was found that the concept of the in-between of thoughts and reality is a space of exploration and realization – a space facilitating an unapologetic flow of design. Everything in-between in the creative process happens within the designer and is portrayed to others in the way the individual expresses their thoughts and ideas through drawing. Internal elements of the creative process – The Unknown, In-Between, and Here – are brought to light in this endeavor. Through this exploration, it was found that our creativity is what is used to create. This creativity makes us human. Exploring humanity through creativity allows for the recognition of our entire beings becoming the initial site of architectural work, allowing designers to become more in-tune with themselves thus advancing their design capabilities. | en_US |
| dc.subject | creative process | en_US |
| dc.subject | drawing | en_US |
| dc.subject | hand | en_US |
| dc.subject | sketching | en_US |
| dc.subject | connections | en_US |
| dc.title | Drawing Connections | en_US |
| dc.title.alternative | An exploration of the hand-eye-mind connection, pushing the boundaries to which it shapes human identity and the world around us. | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
