With this thesis I want to share my exploration of pulse and rhythm as elements of design. I locate my research on the meeting point of two different contexts: one is the expansion of kinetic art into design projects, resulting in aesthetic use of motion playing wider roles in design, and the other is the expansion, in relation to technological development, of the value of pulse as a design element. My hypothesis is that the value of pulse as an element of design can be heightened by acquiring the aesthetic use of repetitive motion seen in kinetic art, forging emotional communication with viewers/users. The mission of this research is to demonstrate this argument through practice, collecting working ideas and methods. I propose a model of pulse which can be used as a tool to reflect on projects from a new perspective. To forge a workable focus for the research, I articulate a definition of Japanese aesthetics and deploy related criteria of design. My exploration covers three topics - single pulse, pulse synchronisation, and pulse interference. Several ideas and methods were tested across eight projects in total, related to theories from various fields including biology, physiology, psychology, philosophy, mathematics and physics, and inspired by art and design practice. The insights gained from the projects allowed me to expand the scope of the exploration from pulse to rhythm, and I also reflect on my work from this perspective, distinguishing rhythm from pulse. Furthermore, I conducted an interview-based study to look into rhythm inferred from non-pulsing motions, and the insights from the interviews are presented in the thesis with an additional discussion. The output of the research takes two forms: recommendations, as a simpliflied and generalised summary of my findings, and case studies (projects), as a concrete source of inspiration for the reader's own creations. By thus interweaving the practical and theoretical knowledge gained in the research, I believe this work provides a useful contribution to the field of design.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:681026 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Yoshimoto, Hideki |
| Publisher | Royal College of Art |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/1708/ |
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