The Krebs Cycle of Creativity: A Bridge Between Art and Science
Guillermo Lopez Escalera Argueta
Communications Office
In the vast universe of ideas, creativity has been compared to natural and scientific processes, offering a unique lens through which to explore and understand it.
This is why several models have been created to help us understand the functioning and relationship between creativity and other disciplines. One of these models is the Krebs Cycle of Creativity, inspired by the biological Krebs cycle, an essential process in cellular respiration. How does this scientific comparison translate to a field as apparently different as art and creativity? In this article, we will delve into the conception, use and relevance of this model, exploring its creation and its impact on the relationship between art and science.
The Krebs Cycle of Creativity was conceptualized by Neri Oxman, a researcher and professor at the MIT Media Lab. Oxman is known for her transdisciplinary approach that fuses art, science, engineering, and design, uniting disciplines that have traditionally been seemingly separate. Her work at MIT, ranging from the creation of innovative materials based on biomimicry to art installations using natural objects, seeks to redefine how we understand and use knowledge.
In his influential article “Age of Entanglement”* (2016), Oxman introduces the Krebs Cycle of Creativity, a model that proposes a sequence of stages analogous to the biological Krebs cycle, where creativity is a continuous and renewed process across various disciplines. This cycle is divided into four key phases, each of which corresponds to a specific discipline:
- Perception (Art): This initial phase focuses on the perception of the world through art. Oxman suggests that art acts as a medium to collect sensory and contextual information, allowing us to question and reinterpret our reality. Through art, we are presented with a perspective that leads us to reflect on our perception of the world and ourselves.
- Exploration (Science): In the exploration phase, the collected information is transformed into knowledge through scientific analysis. Science, It is the vehicle for unraveling and understanding the latent mechanisms of what we perceive. It is here that the questions raised by art are explored in depth, seeking answers and broadening our understanding of the world.
- Invention (Engineering): The next phase is invention, where scientific knowledge is converted into utility through engineering. This stage is key in the cycle, as it involves the creation of technologies and practical solutions that can transform our interaction with the environment, and we also obtain tangible applications that have a direct impact on our daily lives.
- Communication (Design): Finally, the cycle culminates in the communication phase, where design plays a crucial role. Design takes the utility created by engineering and integrates it into a cultural context, transforming innovation into behavior and lifestyle. Through design, inventions are communicated and adapted, influencing culture and feeding back into the creative cycle by once again questioning our perception of the world.
This model, according to Oxman, allows for a constant flow of creativity across all disciplines, creating a synergy where each stage feeds the next, strengthening each other, working with each other, maintaining a continuous process of innovation and discovery.
Krebs Cycle of Creativity, Oxman 2016
Academic institutions, educational centers and companies have embraced fostering creativity within their communities by providing a structured approach and tools for idea generation, innovation and problem solving.
Art and science have traditionally been seemingly divided, but in reality, they share a deep connection, both disciplines are driven by curiosity, experimentation and the search for new perspectives. The Krebs Cycle of Creativity is an example of how scientific principles can be applied to the creative process, demonstrating that scientific thinking can enrich and structure artistic creativity. Today, this relationship is being strengthened through interdisciplinary projects and collaborations that combine art and science in innovative ways. Here are two prominent examples:
- Art and Neuroscience: Projects that use neuroimaging and brain technology to explore how art affects the human brain. Artists and scientists work together to visualize brain data through art installations, providing new insights into the human experience. Such is the case of the Human Connectome Project led by Olaf Sporns of Indiana University, USA, and Patric Hagmann of the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Biomimicry in Design: Designers who are inspired by natural processes to create sustainable solutions. This interdisciplinary collaboration allows designers to apply scientific principles to the creation of more efficient products and systems. Neri Oxman and MIT have developed the Aguahoja project, in which they create programmable water-based biocomposites for digital design and manufacturing.
The Krebs Cycle of Creativity invites us to reflect on how scientific models can enrich our understanding and application of creativity. By bridging disciplines that have traditionally been separate, this model not only highlights the interdependence between art, science, engineering, and design, but also proposes a path toward constant innovation. As we continue to explore the intersections between these disciplines, it is essential to foster these interdisciplinary collaborations. What other innovations can emerge when we bring these two seemingly distinct worlds together? At the end of the day, both art and science seek to broaden our horizons, challenge our perceptions, and offer new ways of understanding the world. In an increasingly interconnected world, creativity flowing between disciplines becomes the key to meeting the challenges of the future and transforming our society in surprising and profound ways.
References
- Oxman, N. (2016). Age of Entanglement. Journal of Design and Science.
- Root-Bernstein, R., & Root-Bernstein, M. (2003). Honey, Mud, Maggots, and Other Medical Marvels: The Science Behind Folk Remedies and Old Wives’ Tales. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- Sawyer, R. K. (2006). Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation. Oxford University Press.
Web References
Documentary References
- Connected: The Power of Six Degrees, Explores the interconnections between science and art.
- Particle Fever, Follow physicists and visual artists in the discovery of the Higgs Boson.
- The Creative Brain, Documentary that investigates how creativity emerges from the brain.
- The Art of design. Neri Oxman: Bioarquitectura.
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