Casey Reas’ Eyeo 2012 talk, Chance Operations, made me think differently about randomness in art. He shows how even data from something as steadfast as a natural component can generate patterns that are surprising and meaningful when processed through a system with rules. It made me realize that randomness isn’t just chaos, rather it can actually be a tool if some limits are set on this. That idea challenged how I usually approach making things; I used to tend to want complete control, but maybe leaving room for the unexpected could make my work more interesting and dynamic.
For my own work for this weeks production, I’ve tried experimenting with randomness in things like layout, placement, or small visual details so the final piece isn’t predictable. For me, the balance between control and chance is having a framework that guides the work but still allows it to surprise me. I don’t want total randomness, because then it wouldn’t feel like my work at all, but I also don’t want it completely fixed, because then it might feel rigid or boring. I believe we can not overstate the attempt of finding the sweet spot between dictation and improvisation that allows the bounds of structure, and at the same time, manages to surprise with the output.