Page 73 - AC-2-1

Arts & Communication

ARTICLE
Nebula rasa: The diaphanous as generative

stimulus in architectural design

Otto Paans*
BC Consulting, Simpelveld, The Netherlands

Abstract

What visual characteristic makes architectural sketches such effective tools in
creative processes or developing spatial ideas? In this article, I suggest that it is
the visual characteristic of diaphaneity or the realm of the diaphanous – a nebula
rasa – more generally. First, the history of the concept, as well as its relevance to
creativity and design theory, is summarily discussed. This is followed by an exposition
of how post-war design theory largely developed in a cognitivist direction, largely at
the expense of lived experience. Invoking selected accounts from creativity theory
and the so-called “phenomenological approach” in architectural thought as well as
the work of sinologist and philosopher François Jullien, I shift the focus toward a
new, agentive paradigm to re-orient current thinking on creativity and architectural
design. Within this new conceptual framework, I develop the argument that the
indistinct, suggestive, and allusive dimension of the diaphanous renders sketches
effective. I argue that the nebula rasa drives the creative process and is instrumental
in generating new ideas. The diaphanous regimen of visibility is inherently dynamic,
continuously bringing new options in play and keeping drawings effective. In
conclusion, I suggest how the concept of the diaphanous may benefit designing in a
*Corresponding author: time of digital heuristics and increasing complexity. Moreover, I suggest that letting
Otto Paans
(ocpaans@gmail.com) ideas rest may also be nurtured as a skill by engaging with the diaphanous.
Citation: Paans O. Nebula rasa:
The diaphanous as generative Keywords: Architectural design; Design thinking; Diaphanous; Creativity; Visual
stimulus in architectural
design. Arts & Communication. representation; Sketching
2024;2(1):1922
https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1922
Received: September 26, 2023 1. Introduction
Accepted: November 27, 2023
Not every design idea starts with a flash of insight or a clear-cut idea. Often, articulating an
Published Online: February 13, 2024 idea is painstaking work, subject to many dead ends and frustrating episodes of stagnation.
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). Discarded sketches and scribbles – often on top of one another on a single sheet of paper –
This is an Open-Access article can be found in design studios throughout the world. So much so, this feature has generated
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution considerable academic attention within design theory literature. Correspondingly, the
License, permitting distribution, so-called “image sciences” (Bildwissenschaften) have steadily developed, signaling a
and reproduction in any medium, philosophical shift away from text and toward visual media. In particular, image sciences
1-3
provided the original work is
properly cited. elucidate (a) the generative role of esthetic experience in creative processes and (b) identify
relationships between various modes of representation, media, and creative pathways.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Against the background of that context, I would like to raise two suggestions
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional regarding the phenomenology of images, in particular those that play generative roles in
affiliations. architectural design processes.

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1922