Knowledge Structure

Knowledge Structure is an exploration of human progress in relation to our planet. The intention was to create a sculpture that is informed by it's context at the Texas Tech University, while simultaneously affecting it. Inspiring learners to engage with technology and development as a function of the natural world. Drawing a parallel between tree and intellect, this sculpture explores the systems and structures of nature's organic forms. As our view point changes, the tree, an expression of geometric construction in nature, morphs into a human brain, the trunk becoming vertical conduits to the ground.

 

22 sections through the brain, in the form of profiles derived from CT scans, have been used to reconstruct the three-dimensional form of the brain. These profiles have been distorted, and only resolve as a brain when viewed from the entrance of the building. The brain becomes a structural projection into space.

 

The profiles perform a dual role, as they have been divided and arranged into branch clusters that form the canopy of a tree. There is a certain organic randomness in the branches and leaves, which belies the rigorous 3-D design process required to realize this complex digital construction of trunks, branches and leaves.

 

The trunks and branches represent a notion, of different disciplines, which are connected, interrelated and interdependent, sharing resources and displaying a process of growth and interconnectedness. The form of the human brain is evident, a neural network that is connected to, as well as dependent on the earth. In this sense, the five columns or trunks that support the brain can be seen as conduits. This concept emphasizes the importance of innovation, science & technology in the furthering of Humanity, as endeavors that need to be responsive to, and in synergy with, the environment.