Drawing as Conversation

 

We know that drawing is manifested in different ways for different disciplines, and that is has the ability to engage our visual and cognitive systems simultaneously; what then can we do with drawing that pushes its usefulness beyond mere representation and comprehension? It has been said that drawing is itself a language, however we usually refer to this form of language as being the effect that the final images have in communicating our ideas. Drawing then is like written language — it is static, unmoving. If we take one step back in the drawing-creation process to the actual action of drawing, to the motions and movements of the designer or artist, could this then be said to compare to spoken language — done ex tempore, unfolding in the same way that a spoken story unfolds? In this final chapter, we will discuss the structure of language and areas where language structures collide, typically located at the intersection of differing disciplines when trying to share information or knowledge. We will also explain how mixed-discipline groups approach the collaborative process. In closing, we will propose a series of principles that might help infuse the collaborative process with the language-barrier-breaking advantages of drawing during the formative stages of multi-disciplinary work groups.

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