There are over 250 chemical elements. But at a fooling workshop* today, I was reminded of the creative power of just four: earth, water, fire and air.
Each one conjures its own meanings and images. And like a metaphysical rock, paper, scissors, they exist in relation to each other.
In design, we can use them to ask: what qualities are present in this system?
Earth is structure, solidity, firmness. It’s hardware. It moves reluctantly, suddenly, with inertia.
Water is flow. Flow in rivers and in vessels. It transports. It’s soft and powerful, and can be relentless. It is life.
Fire is the spark. Energy. The compulsion to act. It crackles. It metabolises. It consumes. It needs stoking.
Air is breath. More life. We breathe it in and out. It’s reciprocal — inside me, then inside you. It’s sound, it’s information, it’s communication.
How do these metaphorical elements show up in the system you’re working in?
How do they relate to each other?
Which ones are missing?
What happens if you weave a new one in?
*The workshop was The Fool’s Body, led by the brilliant Holly Stoppit and Dominique Hester: