Oltre la visione. Disegno e design come processi sinaptici multisensoriali

Paolo Di Nardo; Alessandro Spennato; Gianpiero Alfarano

doi:10.26375/disegno.18.2026.15

Authors

Paolo Di Nardo Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Università degli Studi di Perugia
Alessandro Spennato Department of Architecture, University of Florence https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6259-5714
Gianpiero Alfarano Department of Architecture, University of Florence https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7122-2100

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26375/disegno.18.2026.15

Keywords:

multisensory design, synaptic metaphor, embodied cognition, haptic perception, sensory surfaces, 3D printing

Abstract

This paper explores drawing and design as cognitive and perceptual processes grounded in multisensory dynamics. Through an interdisciplinary theoretical-critical approach, the essay proposes the metaphor of the synapse as an interpretative model capable of describing drawing as a relational device that connects perception, the body, matter and the construction of experience. The multisensory paradigm and theories of embodied cognition allow us to reinterpret representation as an active environment of simulation, anticipation and design modulation. The case study dedicated to the ceramic surfaces project, developed as part of an inter-university teaching initiative between Florence and Perugia, highlights the role of two-dimensional drawing in the generation of sensory surfaces, subsequently materialised through 3D printing. The analysis highlights how the transition from the mark to three-dimensional morphology significantly affects the interactions among vision, touch, and light, contributing to the definition of situated perceptual behaviours. Drawing thus emerges as the cognitive infrastructure of contemporary design.

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