Week 4, 5, 6: Juxtaposition 1, 2, 3

JUXTAPOSITION

Definition: A placing or being placed in nearness or contiguity, or side by side; as a juxtaposition of words

Description: Juxtaposition can be defined as placing two variable, side by side and their contrast or similarity are shown through comparison. Many creative processes rely on juxtaposition. By juxtaposing two objects or words next to each other, human brain will automatically associate or transfer meaning. Usually ‘turning’ something familiar to something less familiar or vice-versa.

The act of juxtaposing is to place two objects or word next to each other. When 2 things put side by side, your brain try to figure what is the relationship between these two?

What automatically happens is that there is transference of meaning. Usually from something familiar to something less familiar.

Metaphor: - Is a figure of speech in which 2 different things are linked by some similarity.

- Comparison that are obvious are not consider metaphors. Therefore, metaphors occur, when 2

- different ideas are being connected in imaginative ways and agreed to be dissimilar at first.

- not using as / like

Example: Life is a box of chocolate,you will never know what you will get!

(The Movie: “Forest Gum”)

Similes: Using as / like

Example: Life is like cooking.It all depends on what you add and how you mix it. Sometimes you follow the recipe and at other times, you’re creative.

Life is like a maze in which you try to avoid the exit.

( example taken from: Roger von Oech’s A Whack on the Side of the Head )

Categories of Analogies There are many different categories of analogies, which will prove to be very useful in the idea generation process. For the purpose of our course we will introduce only two different categories of analogies, which are;

LOGICAL ANALOGIES

Logical analogies are analogies, which use similarities in the design, structure or function of to connect back to the subject. For example a duck can be compared to a hovercraft because of the fact that both of them can move on the surface of land and water. Another example is the comparison of the whale and a submarine, where both can dive to great depths but still need to surface for air. (Sourced from: Nicholas Rourkes’ Art Synectics.)

AFFECTIVE ANALOGIES

Affective analogies are the emotional resemblance. The clearest example is the use of an animal to explain a certain characteristic of a person. This type of analogy is used most frequently in conversation to emphasis certain points. For example, he is like a pig (because he is lazy), she is like an ant (because she is hard working), he is like an owl (because he is wise), etc. This type of analogies uses the intrinsic values of the object as a comparison.

(Sourced from: Nicholas Rourkes’ Art Synectics.)