The Growing Edge: Past as Prologue for New Knowledge in Biodesign
Dr. Leslie Atzmon
Eastern Michigan University
LATZMON@EMICH.EDU
Dr. Diana Nicholas
Drexel University
DSN35@DREXEL.EDU
Morning Keynote Biodesign Symposium 2025 “How to grow a Biodesigner”
Dr. Leslie Atzmon, Professor, Graphic Design and Design History, School of Art and Design, Eastern Michigan University
Dr. Diana Nicholas, Director of MS Design Research & Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Design and Urbanism; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Drexel University
Keywords: biodesign, complex systems, emergent thinking, Leonardo da Vinci, Buckminster Fuller, Design Science, speculative biodesign
Abstract:
We are writing a textbook about issues and ideas in biodesign, entitled Biodesign in Context, in which we note that contemporary biodesign isn’t one discipline or field. Rather, it is made up of a diverse set of practices that bring together biology and design in various ways. We ask the question: what insights can historical precursors provide, for growing biodesigners, into the significant operations that are shared among biodesign practices?
We present two historical precursors to biodesign: Leonardo da Vinci’s glass aortic heart valve design and Buckminster Fuller’s Geodesic Dome. These precursors share the integration of natural and designbased complex systems and emergent thinking with contemporary biodesign practices. Complex systems are made up of multiple separate but interrelated components that interact with each other and their environment in numerous ways. Emergent thinking draws upon the distinct patterns and behaviors that arise out of complex systems. These precursors demonstrate that integration of complex systems and emergent thinking are critical to the generation of new knowledge.
Da Vinci brought together living and non-living systems in his artificial aortic heart valve. His design process was emergent: the valve structure and function arose out of interactions between living and non-living complex systems in particular, out of his experiments on hydrodynamics. In the mid-20th century, Buckminster Fuller embraced the emergent properties and interconnected behavior of natural and human-made systems. The spherical shape and interlocking triangles in Fuller’s geodesic dome design were based on natural principles incorporated with human-made materials, such as steel and plastic.
The embrace of complex systems and emergent thinking by Leonardo and Fuller endure in biodesign. We conclude with an example from future-focused speculative biodesign Meydan Levy’s project Neo Fruit, which explores the production of artificial food. We discuss the relationships between Neo Fruit and Leonardo’s aortic valve and Fuller’s Geodesic Dome and show how all three projects embrace
emergent “cooperation” between natural and human-based complex systems. The past is a remarkable reservoir for understanding how biodesign can produce novel work. The best way to grow a biodesigner is to make them aware of how past breakthroughs can inform present practices.
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