Ornament and Function as Products of Unfolding

Ornament arises as part of the design process, when a person is making and seeks to embellish this "something" while making it. It arises as a result of the latent centers in the uncompleted thing requiring still more centers, requiring still more structure, in order to be complete. The ornamental structure most often comes from the material, and from the way a thing is being made. Ornaments in wood, have different form and structure from ornaments in cast concrete, or in shot concrete. Brick patterns create fine structure, as colored patterns on hand-glazed tilework. Ornament is not something which is imposed to finish things off. It is, in itself, of the essence. It is an essential part of the design process, connected to the shaping and geometry of its structural components, introducing centers in a range of scales. Furthermore, the function of a thing, and its ornament, are not two separable features: they are inseparable. When a thing is well made, then this thing is always at once practical and at the same time an ornament.