Abstract:
The definition of representation as a means to depict has been superseded with representation as a device for generation. Architects, namely Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman and Bernard Tschumi, often propose conventional methods of representation can be exploited and utilised early in the design process in order to explore design possibilities. These initial abstract process drawings can sometimes be the most interesting elements of the project. In the dialogue between abstract and real, representation is at both ends of the spectrum. However not as independent techniques, rather as devices that need to be used simultaneously in order to allow a project to reach its potential. By working between abstract and real the design is able to shift between loose and precise thus simultaneously allowing elements to be realised and fleshed out whilst also facilitating the ability to return to an abstract state again. The way in which we read an image is defined by the way in which it is represented. With each medium shift new discoveries are made inevitably enabling an ever evolving design process; questioning whether there is ever an end point to design. Thus in this case I propose representation be defined as a technique for generation.