Casey Reas starts his presentation by discussing chaos and order. He shows us some of his first programmed work from 1998 and he explains how he learned to start using precise geometry to make his work exactly how he wanted. Later in the presentation, Reas talks about something called Fractal Invaders, which uses a 5×5 grid. Every time the program updates, it flips a coin. From the coin flip, the program then takes the heads or tales answer and turns the block on the grid black or white. When adding basic symmetry, it transforms the image into recognizable symbols and shapes that our brains immediately connect to other things in the world. I thought this was very interesting how something so simple and random could change as soon as you add a little bit of symmetry to the entire piece. Reas then shows a series of four algorithm demos that are made off of the previous. In these demos, we see how randomness and order work together to create interesting designs that change by simple additions to the original program. I really enjoy the fact that all of the demos shown throughout the presentation show how randomness can be controlled and used to create something very beautiful and unexpected.

Ashley Sanchez