BiomechanicaL
Murray Thomson
~ 0567114 ~
Visual Responses to Conflict
Between ‘the Organic’ and
‘the Mechanical’

Organic
Mechanical
Through the course of this sketchbook, I will be exploring the gothic
conflict between organic and mechanical subjects in visual media. Before I
discover how the two forms meet, I shall explore what each theme means in
its individual element.
Organic matter and organisms are what form our most familiar
environments and ideas. A ‘natural’ way to things is perceived as
wholesome, and true to ‘human nature’.
It is not without mystery and unease though, for when organic matter
is corrupted, we may feel anything between threatened and violently
disgusted. Organic matter can rot, producing sore sights, foul smells and
disgusting tastes. Nature has the potential to be pure, or deeply impure to a
most macabre degree.
Machines are man-made and generally controlled by man to perform certain
functions. Mechanical devices are manufactured, clean and efficient. They
represent a reach beyond nature’s potential, such as by lifting heavier
weights or cutting to precision.
Mechanical devices rarely break down and do not rot, yet they can pollute
that which is organic by their by-products. Machines are both useful
and deadly, capable of supporting life as in prosthetics, or taking it as in
weapons.
def.: Relating to or derived from living matter; characterised by
natural development.
def.: Relating to or operated by a machine or machinery; (n.) an
apparatus for performing a particular task.
In displaying organic and mechanical matter together in a manner which
unsettles the viewer, work in this theme may be considered gothic in tone
according to Quéma (2004) [1].
I shall explore existing visual media responses to this movement in the
following spreads.
21
Introduction
1 Quéma, A (2004) The Gothic and the Fantastic in the Age of Digital Reproduction
English Studies in Canada [online] 30 (4) p. 81-119
Available at: <https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/ESC/article/viewFile/362/336>
[Accessed 19th Feb 2009]

43
Visual brainstorm
Credits and sources may be found in the appendix at page 14.

Architecture
People
Architecture which mixes organic and mechanical components tends either
to be found in conceptual or fantastical media.
BIO-ARChITECTuRE, in which non-intrusive housing is introduced
to woodlands and skyscrapers are adorned with plant factories to generate
heat, is a hot topic in the architectural ‘blogosphere’1. The associated
aesthetic expresses architectural drawings, and 3D graphics overlaid onto
2D photographs. Its tone is generally positive, with designers relying on
pure whites and greens from the incorporated plantlife to project a positive
image.
Biomechanical characters are the subject of pure science fiction, presented
either to unsettle or inspire audiences. Much of the time, what we see is not
a cybernetic organism with biological parts, but a machine in organic form.
SCIENCE FICTION has, at times, adopted the bio-architecture look in
attribution to utopian cities. Much darker tones may be seen too, when
showcasing a corrupt, evil or simply gothic society as in h.R. Giger’s work.
Brighter interpretations maintain architects’ favour for pure whites with
natural green and brown tones, while the gothic slant incoporates animal
matter rather than plant. Bones and deep red flesh colours may be seen
attached to dark metal endoskeletons, lit under moody shadows.
1 See pruned.blogspot.com for one well-known example
5
< L’umbracle by Santiago Calatrava
< Cameron, from “Terminator: The Sarah
Connor Chronicles”
Alien Corridor by h.R. Giger >
Advert for Saturn, a German
technology retailer >
Grimshaw/Ken Shaw/Rana Creek project
at Croton Water Filtration Plant
“Laputa: Castle in the Sky”
urban Nebulizer by Jae Kyu han, Sang Mi
Park, Ji hyun KimWo, Young Park and
Kyoung ho Lee
A Cylon Basestar’s interior, from
“Battlestar Galactica”
6

Ideas and themes
ANDROIDS are a common subject in science fiction, from the alien
robots of pulp fiction to James Cameron’s T-1000 in Terminator 2 and the
ancient sentinel automata in Studio Ghibli’s Laputa. CYBORGS are an oft-
associated subset of these ‘man-machines’, reliant on organic counterparts
with a machine core (as with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-101), or as humans
augmented by machine-enhanced senses and motion. As amalgamations of
flesh and metal, cyborgs are the more relevant ‘android’ to this theme.
Seen in a positive light, those subjects which may be considered as cyborgs
are often more human than machine, presented with subtle synthetics worn
as though they were a fashionable accessory. The darker cyborg is often a
gothic representation of decay, in which skin conflicts with the metal it is
grafted upon and a seemingly human character has their inhuman side laid
bare.
As with architecture, this is usually represented with darker reds and
metallic tones, suggestive of industry and decayed meat rather than
cleanliness and purity.
DECAY is a process which can work both ways: nature reclaiming the
landscape as in Final Fantasy, or civilisation being brought to a crumbling
wreck by machines as in The Matrix. In fiction, there will inevitably be a
dominant force (such as machines ruling the world), and I believe that a
familiarity with this theme is what lends the media a powerful resonance.
An image of ‘organic versus. mechanical’ carries with it an immediate
narrative, told through cultural cues.
hARMONY is most often seen in a ‘freezeframe’ context, for sci-fi media
would have us believe that one form of matter must win out.
I suggest that visual media which display a harmony between man and
machine will always effect a positive mood, because conflict will unnerve
an audience fearful of machine progression. To a lesser degree, it may also
be argued that machinic ruins portray a certain sadness. Machines overrun
with plantlife provoke feelings of nostalgia and concern for what was a
man-made artefact.
Science fiction suggests that machines have the power to enslave or destroy
us, and yet machines are man’s creation, and a prolific foundation for
modern society, as seen from Bluetooth headsets to cars and computer-
controlled central heating.
7
< “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within”
“The Matrix” >
“until Then” campaign for Puma
Summer Glau as Cameron for
“Terminator: The Sarah Connor
Chronicles”
“Appleseed Ex Machina”
David Beckham for Motorola
8

In light of the fact science fiction is the chief source and medium for
this theme, I will develop two billboard poster designs which advertise a
fictional, likely non-profit organisation with an interest in human interfaces
with technology.
In order to suggest the narrative theme of a bio-mechanical society, the
posters will show a positive cyborg theme (such as that featured in Puma
and Saturn advertisements) with a contrasting scene showing a negative
reality, taken from the same narrative universe. Both scenes will involve a
combination of organic matter and mechanical creations.
In an effort to achieve broader impact with its audience, the posters will
take cues from other advertisement campaigns which have used gothic or
shocking visuals. Samples which inspired my choice follow:
Though perhaps not achieving
the same shock reaction as the
Benetton advertisement shown
left, these two campaigns rely
on a fascination with the sci-fi
genre and a sense of ‘otherness’
about their near-human subjects
in order to communicate their
messages.
The Puma campaign relies on
the frivolous ‘cool’ factor of the
stylish prosthetic, tapping into
the audience’s appreciation for
the brand design also seen in
conventional Puma footwear.
Saturn’s campaign relies on
an erotic slant, featuring an
attractive nude whose only hints
of being ‘inhuman’ are designed
for pleasure, such as interfacing
with the TV.
In showing an amputated limb,
the Benetton ad. communicates
a more traditionally gothic sense
of ‘otherness’. Prosthetics are
an exception to commonly-
understood society, and so are
unsettling. In featuring a man
of African descent too, it could
be argued that a Westerner’s
traditional view of the ‘distant’
3rd world people may play a role.
9
united Colors of Benetton: “Food for Life” campaign
Puma: “until Then”
Saturn: “Wir hassen Teuer!”
10
Design brief

I intend to make use of a sense of ‘otherness’
as found in pieces such as united Colors of
Benetton’s “Food for Life” campaign. It will be
employed as a means both to develop a gothic
slant on an everyday scene (by introducing
obvious bio-machinery to it), and to provide a
subtle commentary on modern society’s already-symbiotic relationship with
technology.
Taking a billboard poster and bus stop display to be my media, I shall
concentrate on town and city activities as subject matter most relevant to
the audience seeing the poster. In other words, I hope to offer a gothic slant
on scenes familiar to the broadest proportion of observers.
When sourcing photographs to use as a basis for the posters, I explored common
street and commuter scenes from my own albums of work and from Stock
Xchng, a stock photography website. My sample was kept small, dealing only
with scenes which featured people as well as more artificial elements. In order to
convey a sense of a ‘world’ of biomechanical technology, I limited my sample to
far shots rather than focused close-ups, too.
I also elected to develop rough ideas in sketch form, to try and narrow my
image search down. These thumbnail offerings follow. One idea I persisted
with was an homage to the Benetton campaign, in which my works would be
accompanied by only one message. I took the stement and question pairing of
“Connect/Connect?” as my brand, in turns both suggesting that people embrace
technology, while asking them to question whether technology is really right for
them - posing the question of organic vs. mechanical more directly.
11
“London Street” by David Tuck
<http://www.sxc.hu/profile/micromoth>
“Glasgow Central Station” by me
12
Concept
“Schedulology” by ‘Peter W’
<http://www.sxc.hu/profile/peter_w>
“Leeds Station” by me

Taking a closer eye to the activities of a typical town or city resident as I
returned to photo sourcing, I focused a second search around the use of laptops
and mobile telephones. These offered source images with actual technology
placed in much greater prominence. That along with a closer feature of the
people using them, or of other natural elements, would also help deliver my
statement of ‘organic vs. mechanical’ more effectively.
13 14
Development
“Freedom of Working
Anywhere” by PNR Photo
<http://www.stockxpert.com/browse_
image/profile/pnrphoto>
My first sketch was a direct attempt at framing the visual message within a
bus shelter poster. Later attempts saw me sketch a little more freely, but I took
as my subject a businessman or woman, likely to represent an audience of
morning commuters by car or by bus.
In both attempts here,
I drew the subjects as
humans in a partially
technological world, then
as technological beings
at the centre of a natural
environment.
In the first pair, I hoped to
create images which would
show the world outside
as being technologically
enhanced, rather than
invaded, while its opposite
would see technology
being overtaken by
organic parts. Neither
sits particularly easily
with my theme, despite
offering representations
of my theme. The second
sketches, then, show
the opposite of each -
technology infecting
nature, and a robot
interacting with nature
peacefully.

After stripping away a number of images
which featured their human subjects in
too great a detail, or left little room for
text and iconographic additions, I arrived
at this selection and the colourful image
above as my final choice. Each image was
tested for its composition - although all of
them would suit a billboard frame, only
the Piscquadio offering kept the subject
in reasonable frame when the image was
reduced to bus shelter standard [1], at
1200cm x 1800cm.
Its subject is also a close match for my
second pair of sketches, in which a lone
laptop user sits exposed to nature, and the
conflict between that device and the user’s
surroundings can best be felt.
15 16
“Laptop” by Michele Piacquadio <http://www.stockxpert.com/browse_image/profile/bowie15>
“Inspiration” by Dmitry
Shironosov
<http://www.stockxpert.com/browse_
imageu/profile/presmaster>
“Businesswoman with Laptop
Outdoor” by Kristian Sekulic
<http://www.stockxpert.com/browse_image/
profile/skynesher>
“happy Young Woman using
her Laptop Outdoors” by Roman
Shyshak
<http://www.stockxpert.com/browse_
image/profile/shyshka>
“Wireless Work” by helder
Almeida
<http://www.stockxpert.com/browse_image/
profile/hjalmeida>
1 IMEX Display [online]
Available at: <http://www.vinyl-banners.co.uk/billboard_poster_sizes.htm>
[Accessed 27th June 2009]

17 18
The final product is above, seen in a 3-sheet billboard format with the bus stop poster version included on page 19. Light on visual ‘clutter’, similar to the united
Colors of Benetton poster works, it is also a poster which pays some homage to the desaturated colour schemes found in h.R. Giger’s works and those created for
films like The Matrix.
By splitting both posters into half a green-grey, technological manifestation of an organic shape (the tree), and half a sunshine scene across green fields, I hoped to
combine both positive and negative interpretations of the biomechanical theme into one. I opted for a clear dominance of technology over nature within the left-
hand side, although on reflection I could perhaps have stated the split even more clearly by showing the natural elements as more aggressive to the right, mirroring
this tree.

19 20

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