Shapes and Patterns
G’day all,
In our journey through ‘Biophilia’ by Coulthard, last wee we looked at our colour affects our environment and our thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
This week we will look at Coulthard’s view on our shapes and patterns do the same.
When we look around us, we often can tell if we think something is ‘beautiful’ or ‘ugly’ without really knowing why. However, there are some thoughts on this and Coulthard goes through this and how we can use it in Biophilic Design.
Glimpses of Nature
Since nature has such a great effect on us, it would only be natural (pun intended) but glimpses of nature to do the same. This can include
Pictures of nature,
The inclusion of aspects of nature (such as leaf-patterned wallpaper), and
Natural shapes such as spots or stripes.
Fractals
Coulthard looks at a neuroscience paper looking at the effect of fractals in nature. Fractals are produced by nature but hard to define. [i] Essentially, they are a never-ending pattern where patterns are repeated at difference scales. In nature we see thiese in
Trees,
Moutains,
Seashells,
Coastlines, and
Hurricanes.[ii]
Read more here:
https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-are-fractals-10865
https://fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-are-fractals/
Coulthard states that research shows that fractals help to calm us, however, on reading the paper, it is very comprehensive but is not conclusive.[iii]
Spirals
The golden spiral is a type of fractal that Coulthard argues gives us great pleasure.
When you think of a snail shell, it starts off with a tiny curl which gets wider and wider in an exponential way. This shape is found in many things including,
Shells,
Flowers,
Pinecones,
Waves,
Hurricanes, and even
Galaxies.
We don’t know why nature is full of golden spirals but it is very interesting.
Curves
One study that asked people to rate different pictures found that people liked gentle curves more than hard edges and sharp points. It is thought this is because shapes in the natural world tend to be curved and not straight.
Additionally, hard corners and sharp elements were more likely to activate the fear centre of the brain, the amygdala. It is thought that sharp objects are interpreted as threats.[iv]
Circles
Circles are found throughout nature including
Bubbles,
Seeds,
Tree trunks,
Body parts, and cutest of all,
Baby faces!
Symmetry
Several studies have found that people find symmetrical faces more attractive and babies prefer symmetrical objects.
A theory is that we perceive symmetry as being healthy.
However, too much symmetry is boring too us as nothing in nature is really truly symmetrical.
So when we design our houses, symmetry is good but using something to break it up can avoid it becoming too boring.
Conclusion
Using forms and patterns in nature can help to calm us in our living spaces. The use of glimpses of nature, fractals, curves and broken symmetry can help us to feel calmer and more comfortable in our living spaces. How have you incorporated these into your home?
[i] https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-are-fractals-10865
[ii] https://fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-are-fractals/
[iii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3124832/
[iv] Bar, M., & Neta, M. (2007). Visual elements of subjective preference modulate amygdala activation. Neuropsychologia, 45(10), 2191–2200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.03.008