The Context of CreationWe live in a world abound with creations. From a simple paper pin to thriving metropolises, creations dominate our world. A creation is an element in space and time. Its is always a system of creations that we encounter in ordinary day-to-day life; A row of houses, a gallery of art works , a boulevard of trees. Creations do not exist in isolation.One is motivated to explore two aspects of creation. Firstly, the need for creation. Next comes the intent of creation. It may be argued that the former and the latter are embroiled in a cause-and-effect affair, for the intent thrives on need.The need for creation, quite simply is incompleteness. Artists, designers, architects may constantly look for newer avenues, and newer forms, but the casus belli has always been to plug the gap, to attain what was missing. No creation is devoid of context. Tabula rasa doesnt make sense. A building is intimately connected to the land it sits on. Great works of art sample a tissue of society. Cities exhibit the civilization.

Lets take a look at the figure below. What pulls us to it? The void.

Not solid, but a layered one. Rough, gritty, and all around its not not a smooth ride exactly.Its something which slows down the motion, and the experience, but also imparts sense of touch, the feel of smaller units and smaller wholes. Textured. The golden rule of organic growth: piecemeal growth towards a bigger whole.

But we have a void here. A big, ambiguous, porous void. The void would very much love to be a part of the whole. But the void also does not want to lose itself in the crowd. It wants to retain what it was before it became a part of the whole. It just wishes to be better without detaching itself from what it was and what it is.What does one plug in there so as not to upset the order? Should it be done? Can the puzzle be completed?

This brings us to our second avenue of exploration. The intent. Christopher Alexanders New theory of Urban Design talks about completing the wholes in a city. With its piecemeal growth and over riding rule and healing the city. Indeed, it holds good for any creation. All creation look up to be a part and parcel of the greater system around, to be accepted and adapted by society and nature. And the purpose remains the same: To complete and to improve, continuously, and make the system better. Artists may be self-centered, egoistical, but nothing supersedes the sense of fulfillment and completion of contributing to the system.