Formalism: it's not a dirty word. Or is it?

When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty.
But when I’ve finished, if the solution is not beautiful I know it’s wrong.
Richard Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller (1895 -1983)

I've been struggling with issues surrounding formalism in my research of late. There's a strong trend toward the use of geometry in art and design at the moment and it can sometimes be difficult to determine the 'status' of the object. Don't get me wrong, I think that the formal aspects of an artwork are an important gateway to the viewer's understanding and appreciation of any deeper and, ultimately, more important conceptual aspects of the work. Formalism is also of interest to me personally because it spans the divide between the arts and sciences, and indeed, is considered problematic by some in both domains. It's an interesting issue, and one that I suspect has no real solution. But what a beautiful problem, even if merely a formal one?

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