I vividly remember an object I saw displayed at a friend’s home — a sculpted piece of cherry wood that was about two feet tall. The elegant asymmetric curvatures were captivatingly beautiful. I asked for the name of the artist that made the work and was surprised when I found out it was a forcola — an oarlock used by the vogatore to propel a gondola. The gondola is an exquisite boat developed over centuries by expert craftspeople in Venice, Italy.
The forcola can vary in shape depending on where it is positioned on the gondola but always responds precisely to the forces and oar movements employed to navigate Venice’s labyrinth of canals. I was captivated by the beauty of this hyper-rational object, whose form evolved by merely responding to the forces being applied to it — “form follows forces.”
During a recent presentation by an engineer at ARUP I was reminded of my forcola encounter. The objects shown above were developed by ARUP using the latest analytical software and a 3-d printer. The object on the far left is a structural connection fashioned with fairly traditional techniques and tools. It allows for several asymmetrical forces to be conveyed to and through a single point.
Like the forcola the evolution of this connection is solely a response to the forces being applied to this particular node. Through advanced digital analysis the unneeded material was removed and the remaining material reconfigured in a more efficient way — revealing the essential form. The digital model was then produced through a process that precisely forms thin layers of metal, one on top of the other, until a three-dimensional object emerges. Without advanced software and 3-d printing technology, considering a connection this complex would be impractical. What was missing from the presentation was a discussion regarding the aesthetic potential of these new tools and techniques. To all the makers exploring the potential of these technologies, “May the forces be with you.”
Sounds good. Thanks for checking it out.