Designing in Real Time

A 2-day workshop led by Assistant Professor Galo Canizares

Today, it is difficult to separate the process of designing and the software used to realize said design. While Alberti may have established one of the earliest distinctions between the ideal design and the physical realization of it, the emergence of software has collapsed this traditional flow of creativity to the extent that digital tools are no longer the tools for making: they are primarily tools for thinking.

This workshop takes on the premise that software is an ingrained part of the creative process and that real-time technologies such as Internet browsers and design tools push back not only on acts of design, but also on our social consciousness. We will find that to draw on a screen is not simply to dream a perfect image and reproduce it flawlessly with interface tools but is instead a collaborative negotiation with these powerful platforms and the data managed within them. Participants will investigate how web-based drawing apps can be easily built and deployed using open-source and freely accessible tools. Together we will cover introductory graphics programming with the p5js JavaScript library. Using code and Internet browsers as sites for inquiry, participants will develop simple apps that showcase how architectural effects can be explored through the screen and engender discussions about perception and use.

No previous coding experience required.

This workshop will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and Thursday, Feb. 23, from 7-10pm EST.