Before watching Casey Reas’ talk, I only ever recognized randomness in things like code (random() function), dice, throwing a coin, etc. Even when looking at abstract art, I always felt there was still some form of structure and order despite attempting to look random. However, after watching the video, I was surprised to see that not only can code be used to create random art, but how simple it can be. The pieces that particularly stood out to me were Process 18 and the “Tissue” work. Process 18 describes a set of instructions related to an element. This element consisted of a couple lines resulting in random movement. As for Tissue, it was made up of many different types of vehicles that also had random movement. However after watching both artworks, we notice that both elements eventually tend towards a certain pattern or behavior. As a result, I started to question how truly “random” these artworks were as Reas still defined a set of rules and instructions. Although the outcome is unpredictable, the boundaries of what can happen are still controlled by the artist. I believe this reflects how no matter how “random” we try to be, we subconsciously always try to find order even in the chaos.
This is something I will particularly struggle with in the assignment as I tend to enjoy things that have more structure and control. I believe that in order for me to create a bit of chaos in my work, I must find a middle ground between randomness and control. I believe the best way to do this is by having a strong concept or set of rules for my work, while allowing the random elements to influence the final outcome rather than controlling every detail. Reas’ talk has made me realize that randomness does not necessarily mean giving up all control, but instead it can mean controlling the rules while allowing the outcome to develop on its own.