Indeed, it is possible to physically embody a concept so entirely that the two become indistinguishable from one another. To be guided by an internal philosophy so coherent that form seems predetermined. However, it is often the case that aesthetics triumph in the eyes of the untrained. Those who seek the pleasure of thrill rather than the satisfaction of clarity. By no means should we fault those whose eyes are drawn to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but remind them of a gray area that exists both between and beyond those extremes. It should be noted that the eye sees what the mind trains it to see. It is a lens that has been skewed along the edges with dogma or simply a lack of clarity. Only through quiet meditation and self-reflection can one see clearly through the eye. Note that the phrase “your eye” is sublimely discouraged, for it is not your eye, but the eye of your mind. Not what you see, but what is expressed through an image. Not what you feel, but what you want to feel when that image is presented. The form, then, must perfectly align with those visions, or else there will be a subtle…disconnect. It is a strange kind of nuance: to see a face on the waves and not be certain if the waves or the person is making the face. To see a lion so ferocious and yet not ferocious enough. For it is not only the image the eye sees, but what that image invokes in the eye. Nature does not betray its purpose. If it is to kill, it is to kill, and if it isn’t, it isn’t. There is little second-guessing. Machines, however, do not share the same lack of ambiguity. Whereas one form was developed through generations of evolutionary pressure, the other has been refined to solve an equation, though both express intent. The eye seeks the degree of that intention. The form need not be complex to express a high degree of intention; it needs to be direct. Not in the cliche sense; if some other eye were to gaze upon this form, a certain emotional and cognitive understanding will emerge. Whether that understanding agrees with the designer’s intent remains to be observed, and frankly, it does not matter. Intention precedes function, which precedes form. It must also be made clear that the color of the image plays little to no part in evaluating the degree of intention expressed. It is the observation of form that primarily guides satisfaction; color is merely an addition that seeks to highlight that form with contrast. An argument could be made, then, that an eye- a literal eye- that is incapable of distinguishing color can still appreciate intention. In which case, it is not an argument at all, but an application of true intention. A tooth need not be bathed in blood to express the intention of pain, whether the bearer intends to or not. It has been said before that the form of machines can diffuse clarity. Admittedly, it is a fine line to traverse: to express beauty risks hiding intention, and to express intention risks hiding beauty. It is by turning inwards, by spending time with the eye, that a solution presents itself. In the case of machines, it must be that beauty arises from the intention of expressing form. That tooth is beautiful because its form expresses the clearest of intentions, long before function arises. To appreciate form before function is a simple and yet complex experience. In the case of machines, function often dictates the expression of form, though intention remains the same. Therefore, only when a machine is stripped down to its essentials and optimized around that can pure intention shine through. A fighter jet is not beautiful because it is fast; it is because its form so clearly states intention, regardless of its flight capability. The purest examples might be found in track cycling. In terms of time trialling, unlike their road counterparts, track pursuit frames are unyielding in their intention to express power and velocity. It is impossible, even for onlookers who have not trained their eyes to stand stoic before the form of such an exquisite machine. Every angle, every curve, all of it is guided by the most maximalist of intentions. It is beautiful in a brutal kind of way. The way a storm is at full force. The way lightning strikes. The way a tsunami is before it makes landfall. That is the degree the eye seeks. Intention expressed so clearly that function is all but declared, that form cannot be refuted.
Intention precedes function.
Function precedes form.
Form precedes expression.
Expression precedes the Eye.
Intention precedes function.
Function precedes form.
Form precedes expression.
Expression precedes the Eye.
