The Importance of Applying Fractal Principles to Compositional Strategies for the Static and Moving Image

Abstract

Whilst there are great examples in art and design of the application of fractal tenets, the use of those tenets is usually reserved for critique after the work has been produced. It is proposed that the tenets of fractal form, (self-similarity, recursion and iteration) be explored at the stages of compositional development as both a proportional principle, and as strategy for application of random dynamics for the explicit purpose of informing compositional structure based on the psychology of viewer interaction. This paper is informed by prior participant studies that evaluate the psychological response of the viewer to fractal images to build potential methodologies for fractal proportion and dynamics in composition. The argued imperatives from an educational perspective are for a set of design principles, in terms of the aesthetics of fractals, and their relationships to image and audience, to be informed and supported by current and ongoing studies in the fields of mathematics and neuropsychology. The convergence of fields, including growing interdisciplinary activity that seeks to understand and apply fractals in aesthetic terms leads to the important discussion of fractals in deign education. This research proposes a consideration for the instatement of fractal principles as part of the grammar of design for education.