Observations: the familiarity of growth-generated shapes
in Observations
A branch bent into a loop is a consequence of what it encountered during its growth: another branch sitting on its way, a vine coiling around it, a persistent wind always blowing in the same direction. The resulting curve is the manifestation of a sequence of adaptations that occurred over time, each one a response to the specific conditions available.
Designed forms can also arise as a consequence of external conditions: a carved wooden piece that follows the grain, a designed edge that deviates to leave space for what existed before… Humans – who have been reading growth-generated forms for far longer than manufactured ones – somehow notice the difference, finding a nourishing relief in this authenticity.
The Observations grow from a daily habit of noticing details in nature and drawing design insights from them. They’re collected in a monthly digest as part of anooi’s newsletter, which gathers the studio’s world and explores the idea of nourishing spaces. The same attunement shapes the studio’s work, lives in A Biophilic Year – a book-object and online archive on people, nature, and design – and becomes a sensory practice with In Season, a seasonal physical letter.