Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

This paper attempts to explore the affordance of gestures to hold and aid spatial and procedural information of a reflective practice like design. Two experiments were conducted to determine whether a potter is able to gesticulate spatial information of varying complexities, in a procedural sequence. In Experiment-1, subject made a Clay-pot on the wheel from a given 2D stimulus. Subject was then blindfolded, and asked to gesturally rehearse the procedural sequence of the same Clay-pot, but in absence of clay. This led to the construction of a Virtual-pot. Similarly, Experiment- 2 was conducted, but with a more complex stimulus. In the absence of tactile and visual feedback, gestures of the subject could reconstruct not only the shape, but also its development from a lump-like form to a finished pot. Kinaesthetic feedback alone was found to be sufficient to evaluate and correct errors virtually. Furthermore, five kinds of Narrative Design Gestures (NDGs) characterised by absence of speech were identified, viz. dimensional gestures, spatiographs, evaluatory, complementary and non-processual gestures.