Some brief clips from the "Lost Interviews" tapes with Buckminster Fuller, where Dr. Fuller discusses the nature of Tensegrity (or "Tensional Integrity") in structures.
Bucky was a genius to be sure... but he also shamelessly never credited Kennith Snelson with the actual invention of tensegrity structures... To be sure Kennith was a former student and developed the concept after listening to Bucky's general ideas... ... but even so ...you should give credit where credit is due.
pixelspring It was also traditional at the time for senior researchers to exercise the right to appropriate any idea developed under their guidance as their own. It is a waste of time to perpetually harp about this. Thank you Mr. Snelson.
One knows of the pathetic unjust truth of your statement, but it in no way excuses the practice, nor does it excuse Mr Fuller for not being the better man. .. We also know the Snelson accredited the inspiration for his structures from a lecture that Bucky gave. One would not have come without the other... but it is only fair to acknowledge those that extend from the foundation as builders in their own right.
I once talked on the phone with Mr. Snelson to tell him I was building tensegrities in Heidelberg Germany with American high school kids. He was very gracious and Magnanimous he also told me that he did indeed feel slighted by the great Buckminster . If you'd like to see our my startling work go to my channel and watch "Retrieved from the Dustbin "
I agree with your comments. However, if you explore further you would find that a Russian artist, Karl Loganson had a show of multiple Tensegrity structures in 1921 before Snelson was born. Snelson stood on the shoulders of Loganson as he "developed" his structures in the late 1940's long after Loganson was forgotten. Perhaps Snelson's work was not so original afterall. Loganson passed away in 1927. Snelson never credited Loganson either. I totally agree. Let's give credit where credit is due. This work is changing the world if you look at cell biologist and physician Donald Ingber at the Wyss Institute at Harvard Medical school. He is working at the cellular level using the tensegrity model to demonstrate mechanotransduction where applying isometric pressure to the cytoskeleton of a cell produces biochemical changes. And so much more is being done across multiple disciplines.. This, I believe is the future of medicine and biomechanics and robotics, etc. etc.
