Form and Context

Form and context are best explained in this video (30 min) or by massively understating that:
Form = The perfectly rippled sand in the desert
Context = The wind blowing, the sun, etc.

In nature context can dictate the form, add all of the context together and you get the form of a tree growing around a fence and leaning towards the sun.

When we design from scratch we decide form from our understanding of context, which is why there are so many poorly designed things (ie. the Apple app. store or a two party political system). These are derived from a poor understanding of context.

Humans are a mixture of both. Context decides if we have scars or are malnourished (and thus small) or if we are abused as children. Form designed from scratch is what job we choose to work at, what neighborhood we live in (as adults), who we marry, what religion (however, often chosen by context needs to be chosen by form) how many kids we have (as of the last 40 years), etc.

When was the last time you sat down and figured out what is form in your life that you are letting be designed by context (your diet?). And when was the last time you struggled designing something your context has total control over (your past?).