Wiardgroup

Grant wrote:

>The idea that form should follow function, is a very recent 
invention of the Bauhaus. It is convenient, because it reduces the 
cost of manufacture, and therefore widely accepted in the 
machine age.<

Not entirely correct, *jai pence.*  The Bauhaus movement only co-
opted the phrase, just as Nike co-opted "Just Do It" (don't you hate 
when companies just do that?).  Form has followed function since the 
first tool was devised.  Why does a hammer have a heavy head and a 
long handle?  Why does a nail have a point on one end and a flat head 
on the other?  Why are the holes in a flute placed where they are?  
Now, consider your own synthesizer.  Why are the jacks placed on the 
front and not beneath the unit (which would leave more room for 
graphics)? Why are knobs round and not triangular?  

So you see, even Wiard is a slave to the form/function dictum. It's 
all a matter of how far one wants to carry it. The more the form 
maximizes the function, the more efficient  the tool.  To sacrifice 
form to aesthetics, even to a small degree, encroaches on the tool's 
efficiency.  

>But it is by no means a religion.<

No.  Just a mild obsession.  :-)

> Think about it, why should form follow function? Because it makes 
it cheaper to manufacture?<

That's one reason.  As for the other reason, vide supra. 

>How is this an aid to the imagination?<

How does a florid Celtic design aid the imagination of a kid who 
wants to produce distorted, mechanical techno?

johnm