Saturday, August 04, 2012
On Symmetry and Screwing Up
Popular Woodworking Magazine: In the world of design, you read a lot about the acceptance or rejection of symmetry.
Wait, wait. Don’t go away. This blog entry, by the way, has to do with Audrey Hepburn’s gorgeous face.
You can reject symmetry in design based on the fact that human beings are decidedly not symmetrical. A perfectly symmetrical face looks odd – Ms. Hepburn’s face is not symmetrical. Your face is most likely asymmetrical – and your momma loved you just fine.
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6 comments:
There are always exceptions to the rule, but usually in the case of symmetry it seems to be true that it is good for putting things together, and not always quite so good for appearance's sake. Of course, symmetry can have it's own kind of beauty, but really the best thing to say is that it depends on what the thing is. I do have some skepticism about Schwarz's words about facial symmetry, however -- maybe our faces aren't absolutely, perfectly symmetrical but the differences are almost imperceptible, for the most part. On the whole we are generally the same on both sides, save for some tiny things that aren't picked up that easily. That aside, symmetry for precision is definitely the better option.
While it's true that faces are not symmetrical, they theoretically do have their own "form" of beauty (look up the Golden Ratio and Mona Lisa)which can also be seen in different buildings. Symmetry however can be beautiful in architecture too as well as in detail work. And, symmetry can be incredibly handy in the "building" process as Christopher Scwartz has experienced. Symmetry as well as Asymmetry both have its beauties and useful qualities whether they are recognized or not.
I can agree that not all things are made to be symmetrical, such as faces, flowers, and other natural things, however, it's not just joinery that needs to be symmetrical. The human eye craves for evenness and symmetry. When something visual or auditory is unbalanced, we feel the need to fix it and make it even. Asymmetry has a certain beauty to it in that it is what is natural, but symmetry gives us the comfort of balance.
Of course symmetry is just as valuable as asymmetry. Both hold very different effects in an aesthetic comprehension of a design. If there's one thing that I've learned from the design classes at CMU, it's that absolutely everything has to have a meaning in the design process. And of course both hold a great role in the construction process as well. Like a great philosopher once said, "It Depends."
Symmetry is important and all but sometimes breaking away from that is what makes things more interesting and natural looking. The example of faces in this article is completely right about symmetry, and how it is the natural way of things. For joinery though symmetry makes sense because the two pieces of wood have to fit together perfectly. I guess that symmetry is good for somethings and not for others.
Symmetry is one of the top 3 rules for attraction. The others being proximity and similarity. The more symmetrical a person's face is, the more attractive it appears t be and that's the simple truth. Just because we find symmetrical people attractive does not mean we find symmetry in design attractive. And though components of a design may be symmetrical, the design itself can arrange them with asymmetry. The whole thing is somewhat of a gray area, but the most important thing to remember is that you use them in the best way possible.
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