Form follows Gesture

Who comes up with words like "Wahrnehmbarkeit" ? That's why I admire the Germans. Their language is so "genau" that when it's time for a philosophical/semantic discussion, there's little to argue about the meaning (Bedeutung), so it jumps to "the next level". It's just like the discourse of method, if you have small particles that are "genau" what they say they are, it's easier to discover their relationships, patterns, etc... compared to when you have "ungenaue" concepts on which you can't agree what they are or what they mean on the first place. In other words, if you use words like "whateva" or "embiggen"... (as seen on the menu of flickr slideshows) you're like doomed dewd... or you may as well be the reincarnation of Jebediah Sprongfeld!

All that came to my mind when I saw the BMW concept car "GINA" on BMW-web.tv . It's just extraordinary! You know I have a conflict with cars: as design objects, I must admit there are some beautiful pieces like Gina, and countless horrible cars like the mustang, hummer, aztec, pt cruiser, etc. Then, there's the argument that cars for personal use might be practical and convenient for the individual but unsustainable for society and the environment. Then, there's the issue of the death tolls... so much discussions about antrax scare, meningoccocal vaccination, high safety procedures on airports, anti-smoking laws... when more people die or get injured from car accidents each year!

Anyway, the whole "Oberflächigkeit" discourse takes a new level... or a "flat" level. in GINA. Interpreting surfaces as "skin" in such literal way, it creates an object that is more like a living organism. Therefore, it is capable of mimicking human gestures, like winking. Maybe one day (if cars still exist in the future) we'll see cars that are smiling, angry looking, cursing at other cars, or just looking stupid not knowing where to go (I'm guessing that in that future, all cars will be GPS controlled, not human controlled). Then, cars could actually look like their owners or maybe they'll be some kind of avatars. Cool!

ciao