Mind over matter

Mind over matter is an intriguing notion used in many contexts, from parapsychology to pain control and political ideology. In the context of design ideas, and the use of ideation tools, sketching on paper or digital tablet exemplifies how the human mind directs the moving of the pen; mind over sketching. But also the mind in the philosophical sense, as explained in the computational theory of the mind that uses some of the same principles as those found in digital computing. Interestingly, then, the notion of mind over matter would apply to the whole range of ideation tools, viz. words, skeching, modelling and computing. An example of this is Frank Gehry's designs for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, in which the architect's ideas, inspired by the sculptor Richard Serra, were developed using a wide range of ideation tools, from casual sketches, crumpled paper and simple cardboard models to the most advanced computer software. In other words, Gehry's design, from first thoughts to final drawings were developed and communicated through conversations, physical sketching, model making and computing: Indeed without his office's 3D digital software, the museum, like many of Gehry's post-Bilbao ideas would never have become a practical proposal for a developer to build. Yet Gehry says the starting point is always inside his head; for him technology is a means, not an end. Indeed, mind over matter.