How To Lose Your Balance to Find Your Harmony
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691821000615
Porter-Teleo: https://porterteleo.com/
My Showcase Room: https://www.rosemaryhomedesign.com/press
*****
Attractive celebrity faces are seen as odd or off-putting when perfectly symmetrical
Harrison Ford is almost unrecognizable when his face is mirrored. This suggests that a large part of Ford's charm may very well be in the asymmetrical play between the parts of his face.
The homes we live in today are more highly curated and designed than ever before. But, is it entirely possible for a home to look too perfect? Looking around a modern home, it’s easy to see design in our modern lives dominated by a human obsession for balance and symmetry.
Symmetry pervades the precisely mathematically repeating patterns of our wallpaper and fabrics, the mirror image perfection of our products, home decor, and even our interior designs. Anyone got a pair of matching nightstands? We even pursue a myth of balanced perfection in ourselves, both in our outward appearance and the pursuit of a consistency to the speech and decisions in our lives.
But stepping behind the proverbial mirror, we see our quest for symmetry as more than simple aesthetics, but an outward signal of our desperate desire to reduce, organize, simplify and perfect the world around us. While this may make the world easier to handle, it turns out a world of perfection is also one filled with markedly less joy, curiosity and interest.
Wait, isn’t symmetry supposed to be appealing?
But you might be thinking, “Wait a sec, Christopher. I thought the gold standards for form, aesthetics, and even human attractiveness and beauty, are all about having perfectly symmetrical and angular faces, straight clean lines and forms, dominate the design world, right?
Well, kind of. Yes, there have been many studies that all humans find more symmetrical faces in photos to be “more sexually attractive”, but these same studies also reveal that while some level of symmetry is required for attraction, perfectly or close-to-perfect, symmetrical faces are generally perceived as less attractive, plain, unemotional, and rigid. Moreover, studies have found no relation between one’s facial symmetry and better genes or superior health, so the sexual selection argument doesn’t hold up.
One NIH study even showed that humans preferred natural directional asymmetries in humans, that these faces show more healthy emotional and openness, and held more charm and attraction.
And, even more visual research tells us that we are more likely to consider people attractive when they have slightly asymmetrical facial features. A mirror test showed photos of famous celebrities, known for their attractiveness: Ryan Reynolds, Zendaya, Gwen Stefani and Kim Kardashian. You can see these photos in the show notes. The test showed the celebrity’s real face, and next to it, 2 computer-generated, mirror-image composites, mirroring their right and left sides. Which of the three versions do think viewers tended to choose as most attractive?
It turns out some symmetry may be attractive to some degree, but a mirror-perfect symmetry just isn’t natural. Attraction and our sense of beauty is a far more complex equation, especially when we are more than just photos to one another. The charming nuances of imbalance in our eyes, or ears, or Harrison Ford’s slightly crooked smile, these are the things we actually find compelling. According to an ancient Egyptian proverb, “The most beautiful thing is never perfect.” It is our unique qualities that drive deep interest in one another. The pursuit of perfect facial symmetry may only create a perception of "averageness", diminishing one's natural beauty.
So why do we care so much about symmetry?
Perhaps the real reason humans crave symmetry, is that we see symmetry as order, which we desire to help us make sense of the world. “The reason must be partly psychological," says psychologist Alan Lightman. "We find ourselves in this strange universe, and symmetry helps us make sense of what we’re seeing".
I can definitely accept this argument. Especially in times past, when the world was much more chaotic, toxic, and inhospitable, it makes sense to simplify our homes as much as possible. And now, after millenia of treating homes as shelters, of course we would want to design our spaces to create a sense of ease, and to separate us as much as possible from the outside world.
But what’s funny is, order doesn’t necessarily translate to beauty, or to calm, or to happiness, or even relaxation. In fact, it is the asymmetry of natural scenes that promotes more positive brain health because they are more compelling, more complex and interesting. It’s also more relaxing.
If you recall in the Rebel Nature episode 3 about Time, a number of studies show attention, focus, and an overall sense of satisfaction, improved 20% when exposed to natural environments. This tracks even when participants just look at natural objects vs. streets, industrial units or complex geometric patterns and then take several cognitive tests.
Perhaps the same thing that occurs in faces, occurs when we react to our environments? Too much symmetry, mirroring and grid like consistency — feels off-putting at least and even a bit impersonal. If that’s true, than in the 21st century, with every modern convenience at our disposal, we may be taking the symmetrical curation of our living spaces a bit too far.
Asymmetry as true beauty
And in true Rebel Nature fashion, I must ask, why bother, when Nature is so beautifully imperfect. In fact, nothing that exists in nature is perfectly symmetrical, it’s not just human faces. Asymmetry is not only everywhere; it's very often exquisite. If it's not made by humans, there's a good chance it's asymmetrical.
In fact, the word ‘asymmetrical’ itself is in many ways a synonym for ‘natural’, just another way to describe Nature’s vibe. Think about all the breathtaking "inconsistencies" that exist in nature! No two flowers are ever quite the same. Every cloud is a miracle, and there is no mathematically repeating pattern of leaves across the yard the way there might be in a wallpaper or fabric.
Enter biophilic design — that is, architecture design inspired by nature — which embraces Nature’s asymmetrical harmony to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Biophilic design is also sometimes described as the integration of nature into architectural and interior layouts. But to me this trend goes well beyond jungle themed wallpaper or houseplants; it is the intentional use of materials, textures, and patterns, or lack of pattern, inspired by the great outdoors. As well, showcasing the use of materials such as wood and stone which are imbued by nature’s with random quality, a beautiful asymmetry and inconsistency. With biophilic design, we are blurring the lines of separation between the highly curated indoor spaces, and the redemption of the self, which we usually only find outdoors.
A perfect example of what biophillic asymmetry can do is exemplified in a handpainted wallpaper company called Porter-Teleo. I worked with them on the Pasadena showcase house a couple years ago — the photos are in the show notes. They developed a beautiful paper for my design room, called Flora and Fauna. The walls were filled with large, deep purple abstract shapes suggestive of leaves, butterflies, fish and other organic shapes. Gorgeous in form. But the real beauty was that no two shapes were alike. Each one, painted with human variance and impulse created a mural of unique shapes on the walls. Visitors to the room described the walls as gentle and soft, drawn to them because it wasn’t immediately clear what exactly was going on. Just like the clouds, and leaves outdoors, calm and curiosity was brought into the room. Needless to say, the paper was easily one of the most memorable and emotionally triggering parts of the space.
Of course, biophilia is nothing new. Everyone from the Egyptians, to the Greeks to Renaissance artists and makers saw value in using the asymmetrical tropes, forms and styles from biology and geology, to stay connected to the natural world.
The Art Nouveau style of 1890 to 1910, and Arts and Crafts movement later, rejected depersonalized factory industry in favor of the natural and organic. It rejected the perfection of pattern and grids, instead opting for a balanced off-kilter harmony in all things. The movement also despised the discrimination between fine and decorative arts. They believed nature should be expressed in our everyday things, elevating people's existence with the natural world at all times.
Nature’s asymmetry is also key characteristic of the Zen aesthetic of Japanese art, emphasizing the process of seeking perfection, rather than perfection itself. This idea is reflected in the use of fukinsei (inbalance) to control balance in a composition. Asymmetrical designs are seen as more dynamic, and inviting, evoking flow and movement, which can lead to better recall of the content. Zen Buddhism teaches that nature is the source for all life, and that we should be joined together with nature's unique patterns.
As a side note, I wanted to say, biophilia is a subject near and dear to me, If you don’t know about my work as an artist, I specifically focus on handmade sustainable and biophilic, nature-inspired aesthetic furniture, using the forms and shapes of animals and plants in my work. My mission is to introduce my furniture as art, to bring handmade wood objects into living spaces, as a gentle reminder to help break our separation with the natural world. If you’re interested, you can view my work at christophergrantward.com
Asymmetry is having a moment
All this to say, I can see that asymmetry and biophilic design is having its moment in interior design. But why? Well, design often reflects changes in our society.
For example, The Middle Ages are seen, generally, as a period of economic and intellectual decline. In homes of this period, even wealthier patrons stuck to muted, sobering colors for decorative tapestries and stonework, only used practical furnishings, and stone-slab flooring. In contrast, the Renaissance renewed focus on art and creativity, and interior design followed with marble floors, ornate woodwork, and furniture made with the finest materials. Today’s modern interiors may pull from any number of historical styles, colors and motifs.
However, as I mentioned, these days, asymmetry and biophilic design are having a moment, so what is happening these days to cause that?
Like the plague of the Middle Ages, the COVID Pandemic will certainly define our time. It changed how we feel, how we live and work. Many of us don’t have the same structure to our lives anymore and don’t see the need for it. We are embracing more fluid and passionate ways of living, more independent ways of working. Remote and freelance jobs are much more common than even 4 years ago.
As well, during the pandemic, when people couldn’t interact with one another inside, open natural places became some of the safest havens for experience outside the home. People want to add nature back into their lives because they recognize the physical and mental health benefits of it, people saw the benefits of Nature and realize how much their lives have been disconnected from the outside. And finally, I’ll add that COVID showed us how thinly veiled our illusion of order and control really is. To some degree, it feels as though we are letting go of a quest for perfection, order and control in every aspect of our lives, and that includes the design of our homes. In fact, I see many of today’s homes expanding their living spaces to the outdoors. Outdoor kitchens, for instance, have surged in popularity, offering families the unique experience of cooking and dining surrounded by nature. These outdoor extensions serve as a bridge, connecting the home with the therapeutic embrace of the outdoors, as well as connecting our food and nourishment, more closely to its source.
Against this tableau, the extreme minimalism and hard symmetry of the past decade, a so-called “classic” or “elegant” look just doesn’t resonate as strongly anymore as a softer and more interesting unlikely harmony.
And yet, if all asymmetry comes from nature, and asymmetry is the closest thing to true beauty, then asymmetrical, biophilic design makes complete sense. In a world where people desire their homes to be expression of their vibrant, changing, artistic, natural and emotional lives.
For me, in my furniture, in art, in interior design, the beauty of asymmetry is that it reflects Nature’s harmonies. As taught in Zen Buddhism, while the parts may not be exact replicas, they create their own offset beauty, their own composition. Elements interact in a way that makes each side equally important. As a tree knows to grow both toward the sun and water, it creates it’s own harmony. Asymmetrical design reminds me that we don’t need to be mirror perfect, organized, simplified, or purely balanced, but rather that a gentle flexible harmony in all things is all actually just Nature’s way.
