Casey Reas, Chandler McWilliams, and LUST released a new book entitled “Form+Code”:
It’s a look at computational aesthetics in the fields of design, art, and architecture. Specially the book is about how software allows for new “forms” to be created in the visual arts.
For some of us, coding is second nature, just another form of thinking. But for many, it’s completely foreign – more incomprehensible than Shakespeare. Ever since I learned BASIC on my first computer, I’ve been magnetically drawn to the visual side of computation. “Why code?” was a question friends frequently asked. I was never able to really express why. Even though, like a learning a second language, I always believed it was important for personal growth – especially for those in visual / conceptual fields.
I love what this book has to say:
Learning to program and to engage the computer more directly with code opens the possibility of not only cresting tools, but also systems, environments, and entirely new modes of expression. It is here that the computer ceases to be a tool and instead becomes a medium. Learning to program and to engage the computer more directly with codeopens the possibility of not only cresting tools, but also systems, environments, and entirely new modes of expression. It is here that the computer ceases to be tool and instead becomes a medium.
“Code+Form” is full color and bursting with examples. Take Flatware: A new set of flatware designed, “by mutating, blending, and evolving a base form” for example:
Recursion is topic of great personal interest. Here’s a section from the book:
And Flight Patterns, by Aaron Koblin, is breathtakingly gorgeous illustration plotting the paths of aircraft across the United States:
If you would like to read this book, tell three people about my company’s latest project, WikiReader, and then send me an email. Before next week, I’ll chose a name by random, and send the winner my book.
Shipping, anywhere in the world, is on me.
