Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Sprach- und literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät - Nordeuropa-Institut

Between thinking and making, how can we describe and define the various processes at stake in the emergence of forms?
In German, the term Gestaltung  relates to a certain dynamic of forms, whether manufactured or natural, while in Italian, the notion of « Formatività », coined by philosopher Luigi Pareyson, considers all forms—especially art works—as organisms, endowed with a life and an inner law of their own. In French, mathematician and psychoanalyst Daniel Sibony has come up with an interesting neologism: « trans-faire », which, in English, can translate into « trans-making » or « trans-doing », stressing the necessary in-betweenness of the act of formation. In this lecture, we will look for words, concepts and gestures that can help us make sense of these immemorial processes of transformation and we will connect them to some contemporary realities and challenges in the world of manufacturing.