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The Mandala is an ancient principle
External form
gathers attention
and takes awareness
journeying through consciousness
to the place where
seer and seen
are one.
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The Reciprocal Frame
Is a structural mandala
whose form
gives expression to
the interconnection of our existence,
the strength of global community,
and the nature of our consciousness.
Its unspoken wisdom
crosses divides of creed and culture.
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The Reciprocal Frame by Graham Brown
Occasionally in 1987 a murmuring would make itself known in my mind. Unable to grasp its content and meaning it grew in strength until - knowing something wanted my attention - I took a month off work to listen. It's a long story, and one which I have since told too often, but it was during this time that the Reciprocal Frame revealed itself to me as I played with the geometry of the interlocking star.
I first made the array with my daughter's Mikado sticks and Blu-Tack which gave the structure almost no pitch.
The next day I went to my workshop and made nine small beams each measuring 12 x 20 x 500mm and built the structure. This time the thickness of the beams gave the Reciprocal Frame pitch revealing its three-dimensional nature.
I pressed down upon the structure. It seemed strong. I thought "is this strong enough to take my weight?"
I put a chair either side of the small structure to support myself and slowly lowered my substantial bulk onto the tiny frame.It held me and a rush of joyous information shot straight up my spine……
It said
"this is a roof structure,
a social structure,
a financial structure,
an architectural mandala.
DO IT"…… and I have been doing it ever since.
I named this structure The Reciprocal Frame and my studio, Out of Nowhere, in honour of its mysterious origin.
I felt a small piece of natures wisdom had dropped in my lap and so it proved. The same principle is found in sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, also the work of an unknown 11th century Japanese buddhist temple builder and others around the world today.
I am a part of its linage… -
Vortex
Life spirals into existence through vortices.
Can anyone show me the centre of anything……
The nature of infinity is this,
That everything has its own vortex
and when once a traveller tho' Eternity has passed that vortex,
he perceives it roll backward behind his path,
into a globe itself unfolding like a sun.
Thus is heaven a vortex pass'd already
and earth a vortex not yet pass'd
by the traveller thro' eternity…
Milton
by William Blake
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Geometry
The Reciprocal Frame may be configured by 3 or more beams placed one upon another, tangentially around an atrium circle, until the last rests upon the first, in a closed loop array.
The size of the atrium, number of beams and thickness of beam are all interdependent,
It emerges from a vast matrix of inter-connective geometry.
Each place calls forth its own geometry where landscape, orientation, sunlight, climate and people are the determinants.
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Design
Design with the Reciprocal Frame is an act of deep listening.
Design Drawing
Waiting for geometry, site, purpose and technology to be one.
The interdependent nature of the structure demands nothing less.
This approach moves the designer's mind through the boundary of accepted disciplines to a realm of interconnectedness where simple solutions to complex problems emerge.
Living and dying in Community - home and hospice.
by Carlos Marquez
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Engineering by Peter Murray - Chartered Engineer
The Reciprocal Frame system is fundamentally one of interaction and interdependence, a system which produces a combined capacity which exceeds the sum of the parts. When an individual member is subjected to local loading, this burden is distributed amongst all of the elements such that the load is dissipated and satisfactorily carried to the ground. The structural layout provides a unique balance and symmetry, but also one which emphasises the importance of the contribution made by each individual element.
As such, the reciprocal frame can be viewed as a reflection of how our world should work. The connections between individual elements can be minimal and yet the ability for the whole to withstand excessive loads is astonishing. The system will not function without an adequate contribution from all parts – similarly we must all make our own small contribution for society to function as a whole.
Copyright © 1987 - Out of Nowhere E&OE
