Humans have the unique ability to absorb and synthesize ideas, leading to the creation of new concepts.
This process can be categorized into three main cognitive mechanisms: bending, breaking, and blending.
Definition: Bending involves changing the attributes of an existing object or idea, such as its size or form.
Artistic Examples:
Statues showing human forms that are exaggerated or altered for artistic effect.
JR's giant statue of Mohammad Idris leaping over a building for the Olympics.
Tiny sculptures that emphasize a different aspect of the original form.
Scientific Examples:
Edwin Land’s solution to headlight glare involved miniaturizing polarizing crystals into a windshield.
The evolution of the mechanical artificial heart into a continuous flow model that eliminates the pulse.
Airplanes inspired by the mechanics of bird flight.
Definition: Breaking means deconstructing an idea or object into smaller parts or removing certain elements.
Artistic Examples:
Cory Arcangel’s "Super Mario Clouds" stripped down the game to only display the clouds.
David Hockney's fragmented visual fields that challenge perceptions.
Pointillism used by Seurat to create images from colored dots.
Scientific Examples:
The neuroscience technique Clarity, which allows observation of brain pathways by breaking down fatty molecules.
Fred Sanger's method of sequencing DNA through breaking long molecules into smaller segments.
Definition: Blending occurs when two separate ideas are combined to create something entirely new.
Artistic Examples:
Mythological creatures like sphinxes and chimeras represent blended forms from cultural stories.
Scientific Examples:
The creation of Freckles the spider-goat through genetic engineering, blending spider silk production with goat milk secretion.
The processes of bending, breaking, and blending illustrate the inherent creativity in both arts and sciences.
While artistic expressions are overt and visible, the same cognitive mechanics operate behind scientific innovations.
Unlike computers that retain exact data, human creativity results in dynamic and ever-evolving reinterpretations of input.