Introduction:

The approach to form-making or form-finding and material explorations are seen through the idea of tools. How do the tools shape our idea of form and space? How are design processes shaped around the tools which we use, or in the other way, how do tools shape our design processes? Also, with the tools that exist today, how can tools be rethought, or how can the role of tools and with the advancement in technology, the role of humans be rethought in current times? 

Research Question: 

The process of form generation starts from questioning the idea of tools which then tries to put forth a few propositions  of imagination of a new tool through sketches, and these propositions are made looking at the wide spectrum of tools that are being used today. 

This broad-spectrum is thus divided into five areas of tools, along with form-making or form-finding and material explorations, human engagement or involvement is seen as a crucial part in each of these areas. The process of thinking about tools starts from our body itself, where human body parts are considered as a tool. There is an engagement of the human mind and body directly into the process, whereas the precision and skills are limited in this process. When the idea of tools comes in as extensions to human beings, where there is an indirect involvement of human mind and body into the process, the expanse of skills is broadened. These tools are really simple tools. Few tools are thus transformed further when the human body is studied and hence replicated in the form of a machine, that is programmed or choreographed to perform in certain tasks. The human involvement in this process is thus at the input level and the remaining process is autonomous. These tools were mainly used at the level of industrial generation, but domestic models of the tools are also created where there is an idea of personal fabrication has become very common with 3D printers and other desktop machines. The idea of personal fabrication thus leading a shift in the idea of skills and material. The idea of potter where the making of pots is not taken from any drawing but it is due to the human mind and hands which work together to get the form. Also, there is a constant change in the form. When this comes to personal fabrication tools, idea of a form is first generated which hence takes a material input or vice a versa, but the skill here is questioned. This is different when it comes to a generative or digital process when the input is provided by the human, where the input is a set of parameters and we get many iterations of form as an output. Here, the skills of humans can be seen as the lines of code input in the process. Digital or generative tools can also be seen as an extension to human beings, whereas tools which are autonomous can be seen as individuals like human beings. This idea of tool is challenged when nature is considered as a tool, where there is no human engagement in the process, and form is derived or formed by its own autonomy. Thus when nature as a tool comes in, the idea of temporality of forms come in as nature makes and even perishes. Here, we are also made to rethink the making processes because of the autonomy.  

Looking at the autonomous tools, and studying human engagement, there is very little involvement or engagement in the process of making. The proposed idea of the tool looks at the process of involvement of humans in making, this is where the human is seen not as a third person operating the tool but as an identity operating with the tool. There is a sense of play that is seen in this process, and hence the process becomes joyful along with form generation.