American Dreamer

A sympathetic and insightful study of the legacy of the scientist Buckmister Fuller, with particular emphasis on his synergetic approach to geometry. The American architect R. Buckminster Fuller was one of the most imaginative technological innovators of his age as designer, engineer, mathematician and social visionary. His exploration of the Geometry of Nature found that the straight lines and Cartesian coordinates of conventional science are inadequate for its description and that Nature is constructed from geometric shapes, of which the most basic element is the tetrahedron. But Fuller's discovery was underpinned by a powerful holistic vision: such exploration must start with the whole of what is being explored; and technology must be used to help enable humanity to go on living sustainable on earth. Together this made up Fuller's Theory of Synergetics. This fascinating study assesses the legacy of Fuller, an extraordinary scientist-artist-engineer, whose ideas were inspired by the 'American Dream'. The Author portrays with enthusiasm and sympathy the creative and individual science of a man whose character was as multifaceted as the domes he created. The ways in which Fuller's synergetics can be seen in the ancient iconographies of the past are revealed with fresh insight. In addition, Eastham looks to the future artistic applications of Fuller's 'wholes' with the aim of inspiring the reader to think outside of the box themselves.

Assesses the legacy of R Buckminster Fuller, a scientist-artist-engineer. This book portrays the creative and individual science of a man whose character was as multifaceted as the domes he created. It looks to the future artistic applications of Fuller's 'wholes' with the aim of inspiring the reader to think outside of the box themselves.Synergetics can be defined as the exploratory strategy of starting with the whole. It was in the 1940s that Buckminster Fuller developed a series of spherical models which embodied the synergetic theory within geometry. This study of Fuller's sacred geometry describes with vigour and in detail how his spherical figures relate both to Nature and to the tenets of synergetics. The author assesses the legacy of Fuller, a scientist-artist-engineer extraordinaire whose visions were inspired by the American Dream, and portrays with enthusiasm and sympathy the creative and individual science of a man whose character was as multifaceted as the domes he created. Discover the theory behind the idea that the straight lines and boxes of science and maths are inadequate for representing Nature's spherical and cyclical patterns of growth. The ways in which Fullerís synergetics can be seen in the ancient iconographies of the past are also revealed with fresh insight. In addition, Eastham looks to the future artistic applications of Fuller's wholes, with the aim of inspiring the reader to think outside of the box themselves. 'We sought for years to bring out a brief alternative geometry textbook. [...] It's not easy to produce a round thing in a square world...' Extract from the Introduction.