Computational Media 9.5.19

What is Computational Media?

Media made by computing. Whether that’s HTML, CSS, p5 or even a punchcard for a loom or a mechanized flute, it’s all about writing a code and having that code translate into something else.

In my limited experience with coding, I’ve worked with HTML, CSS, PHP, and some of the visual coding in Unreal. I’ve always enjoyed the process, as if I was exercising a part of my brain that didn’t really get much use. Growing up, I feel like I’d been conditioned to think of people who code as very straightforward, non-creative thinkers. In my coding projects I feel that I could not have been any more wrong. Coding is a way to simultaneously set boundaries and break them down. Boundaries are set in the way that the code must be written in a certain way for it to function and then broken down by creative interpretations of the code to create in a myriad of ways.

As we’ve come to find new ways and applications for coding, it’s no surprise how much power is held by those who understand how to do it. As a society, we are at a point where those who do not understand code have submitted to letting others dictate huge facets of their lives. The phones we use, the cars we drive, the maps we follow and the media we take in is all in the hands of those who write the code behind those tools.

Due to racism and sexism, we find ourselves in a place where a majority of the people behind the code represent the privileged class more than it does the oppressed. Even without malicious intent, without a diverse group of people writing code inherent biases will slip into the code. When bias in built into foundations that layer upon layer of code is based on, it becomes difficult to find equity in tech. When that tech becomes an increasingly more prevalent part of our lives, the need for diversity becomes exponentially more urgent. Maybe it isn’t necessary for every person to know to code, but every person should know at least a handful people who can help them understand the code that runs their lives.

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p5 Sketch

For my sketch, I decided to recreate an old logo that I used for my brand. It’s an image of the top of my head with the eyes blocked out. As expected, I struggled with figuring out how to make this work in p5. Initially I tried to dive in and try certain assets to see if I could figure out how to make it work. This was helpful for simpler things like the triangle, quads and single straight lines. When I tried it with curves it only flustered me. Luckily, I found a video on YouTube by The Coding Train that helped me understand how to make curves work. I still wasn’t able to get exactly what I wanted, but I’m satisfied with the work so far as a first attempt.

A link to the project can be found here.

Here is a photo of the original logo that I designed in Adobe Illustrator:

A logo that features Patrick’s face from the eyes up. The eyes are blocked by a black censor bar. He is wearing a pink beanie. There is a black outlined triangle in the background.

Here are some progress shots of the sketch:

On the left there is the p5 web editor filled with p5 code for the sketch. On the right is a triangle with a thin line sketch of part of a beanie.

On the left is the p5 web editor along with some code for the sketch. On the right, there is a triangle in the background and part of a pink beanie sketched out. The top left corner of the beanie has a point that is way too high, indicating an error in the code.

Here is the final sketch:

final sketch of Patrick’s logo. There is a black outlined triangle in the back. Patrick’s eyes are covered by a black censor bar and he is wearing a pink beanie.