This was written for the ‘Computational Thinking and Critical Practice’ class while studying on the Creative Computing Msc at the Creative Computing Institue in 2019.

Methods of My Madness

I don’t currently feel I have much of a working practice to comment on it’s category of art or design, but to consider previous work (which I now see as dated), and my current areas of interest, I suppose it would be considered art. I think deliberately categorising work in either field can limit it’s potential. I have an innate fear that if art is the desired outcome, then the process is instantly biased and no longer faithful to true inquiry.

I tend to think of the world as a fractal of complex systems, which in themselves are not beyond understanding. So to take things on a small scale such as building a wardrobe, painting a portrait, writing a simple piece of software; I enjoy the process of breaking apart the desired outcome into it’s constituent parts and working on these individually. I am particularly interested in working with code, and have been for some time, because I feel it is quite a pure representation of this idea, but it is also the language of our time. I want to understand the things I don’t know, and a lot of that comes from understanding the language of computers (along with mathematics and physics).

My work (if my work can exist just as ideas, for now) is generally based on educated assumptions which will hopefully allow me to learn through doing. I am making assumtions based on how I think the world works: the areas which should be of interest, and could yeild interesting results. Aesthetics of course play a role, and I have my personal tastes, but the visual output is often a side-affect and I tend not to lead with aesthetics.

My methods are considered, and I tend not to do anything unless I feel it slots into my self-made bigger picture. That picture feels more like a puzzle which I’ve lost the box to, but the moments where I find fragments which slot together nicely are satisfying enough to keep working on it. If I am successful in learning about what I deem to be important then hopefully my output will in someway reflect that. I do want to make a conscious effort to make this output understood and digestible to those who happen to come across it. I think there is a responsibility involved, particularly if my work is to be considered art, or artistic, for it to aim towards clarity rather than furthuring confusion or mysticism.

I would like to think that what I am making is relevant to contemporary culture. I’m not really interested in the past, unless it is to understand the present. I am also not particularly interested in craft or tradition when it comes to making. I want to understand contemporary tools to be able to use them. And I want to use them to interrogate other aspects of the world which can only by understood with modern tooling. I don’t want to use hi-tech tools to make modern day paintings - I want to be working with entirely “new” media: simulation, systems, collaboration.

Right now my work is making little-to-no difference to it’s field, but it is not my intention to remain in a vacuum. I look forward to mixing in a new world of talented people, and contributing as much as I can.