I find this differentiation between "biomimetics", "biomimicry" (and by
inference, "bionics" and "bioinspired design" etc) to be at best a waste of
time and effort, and at worst ironically divisive in a branch of science
which is supposed to be globally inclusive, melding biology with all sorts
of other disciplines and studies. Is the version of architecture that I
find myself talking about any different from that which Janine Benyus and
her helpers discuss? And if so, why? Is it because we have different
labels or because we are different people?
Let's get rid of all this spurious identification with words - that what I
do is different from what you do because I identify with a marginally
different word. Nobody outside the area is going to find it useful, and it
becomes ever more confusing to new entrants to the subject, who feel that
they have to identify with some small zone before they can take part.
In one of the chapters in her book, Janine interviewed people attending a
sub-symposium of the US Materials Research Society. At the time we all
thought we were doing biomimetics. Does that mean that we should expunge
that chapter from the book in the interests of intellectual purity?
Please. We are praeternaturally lumpers, not splitters.
Julian Vincent
Quoting "" <[log in to unmask]>:
> Posted by: Norbert Hoeller <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Sarah, have you checked out
> http://thinkcycle.org/tc-notes/?topic_id=40413&type_id=0 - the main
> Biomimicry
> topic on ThinkCycle? There are a 19 'Notes' including pointers to other
> resources such as the Biomimicry website, a CBC special on Biomimicry, and
> the
> book by Janine Benyus. There is also a set of clippings about Biomimicry
> (clearly not comprehensive - I'm always interested in new material).
>
> Are there specific examples that you are most interested in? In general,
> what
> got you started in Biomimicry, and how do you see applying it? Have you
> investigated Biomimetics? Similar underlying concept, but tending to have
> more
> of an engineering/materials focus.
>
> --------------------
> This is a posting from the ThinkSpace: BioInspire Monthly Publication
> bboard.
> To reply you can go to:
> http://thinkcycle.org/tc-bboard/message-
threaded?message_id=41696&forum_id=41301#45932
> To unsubscribe from this or other bboard posts go to:
> http://thinkcycle.org/tc-bboard/subscriptions
>
>
|