Conditional Design Workshop

Through the influence of the media and technology on our world, our lives are increasingly characterized by speed and constant change. We live in a dynamic, data-driven society that is continually sparking new forms of human interaction and social contexts. Instead of romanticizing the past, we want to adapt our way of working to coincide with these developments, and we want our work to reflect the here and now. We want to embrace the complexity of this landscape, deliver insight into it and show both its beauty and its shortcomings.
Our work focuses on processes rather than products: things that adapt to their environment, emphasize change and show difference.

Instead of operating under the terms of Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Media Art or Sound Design, we want to introduce Conditional Design as a term that refers to our approach rather than our chosen media. We conduct our activities using the methods of philosophers, engineers, inventors and mystics.

Process
The process is the product.

The most important aspects of a process are time, relationship and change.

The process produces formations rather than forms.

We search for unexpected but correlative, emergent patterns.

Even though a process has the appearance of objectivity, we realize the fact that it stems from subjective intentions.

Logic
Logic is our tool.

Logic is our method for accentuating the ungraspable.
A clear and logical setting emphasizes that which does not seem to fit within it.

We use logic to design the conditions through which the process can take place.

Design conditions using intelligible rules.

Avoid arbitrary randomness.
Difference should have a reason.

Use rules as constraints.
Constraints sharpen the perspective on the process and stimulate play within the limitations.

Input
The input is our material.

Input engages logic and activates and influences the process.

Input should come from our external and complex environment: nature, society and its human interactions.

MANIFESTO

First Exercise

First exercise is "The Perfect Circle"

Rule:
End each turn with a perfect circle which is larger than the previous one

Second Exercise

Second exercise is "Hatching"

Task to be performed every turn by each player


Draw a straight line

The line must connect two dots.
The angle of the line must be within the following range: 0 to 45 degrees for the black lines, 45 to 90 degrees for the blue lines, 90 to 135 degrees for the red lines, 135 to 180 degrees for the green lines.
Connect the line to an existing line if possible.
Draw the shortest possible line from your starting point. If you enclose an area (a plane surrounded by lines) then hatch it with lines parallel to the line you enclosed the area with. The enclosed area may not contain unconnected dots or open ended lines.

Place a dot

The position of the dot is not further away than 10 cm from other dots and not inside the convex hull of all dots.

Third Exercise

Third exercise is "Beach"

Instructions

Each turn, find the most empty space on the paper and place a dot in the middle of it.

More Experimentation

Fourth exercise is "Knot"

Knots

Elongate your line on both sides by looping it over and under a line of another colour.
You may not loop your own line or the line you looped in your last turn.
If you have no options left on one of the sides, that side is dead.
When both sides are dead, you may place a new line.

First Result

Alternate Result

Fifth exercise made with Eva's Rules