Gilt Randomness Frame

One of the most unexpectedly fruitful topics I've explored with this project is randomness — specifically computational randomness and its use as a tool in generative systems. It's a polarizing topic: in many conversations even using the word "random" can make many designers instinctively recoil. Many consider the designer's intention sacrosanct, not something to be left to chance, especially so if that chance is the output of a mathematical function.

But at the same time I observed a love of randomness within the generative art community online. Rather than seeing it as competitive to the intention of the artist or designer, many generative artists favor randomness in their algorithms as a way to facilitate surprise and variety. Generative systems often have more potential outputs than you could ever explore manually, and in this context randomness becomes a way to explore a seemingly infinite possibility space through serendipity.

I've come to see randomness, used in this way, as a key technique for the kind of long-form generative design I've been exploring. Surprise and variety are sorely lacking in most of our mass-manufactured products and experiences. This frame celebrates randomness and its role in making unique and meaningful designs by turning it into ornamentation for one of my favorite family photos.

The texture on the frame is a visualization of 3D fractal Perlin noise, probably the most common flavor of noise used in generative digital work, from image textures to terrain generation in video games. The frame was 3D printed in four pieces, then assembled and gilded with gold leaf.