ABSTRACT
Chapter 1, “Randomized Signification,” focuses on open-ended exploration of media production according to chance and free association. The methods and history discussed are relevant to contemporary art and media design because current aesthetics in media at large are informed by experimental approaches that in the past appeared to detach the artist from the work they produced. This interest in detachment in turn has been passed on to algorithms performed by computers. With this in mind, the open guidelines for this chapter are an introduction to the premise of individual expression that implements systematic methods and rules, developed to set limitations by the artists or designers, in order to produce work that appears to offer some type of detachment from artistic subjectivity. Additionally, the exploration of methods of random association as part of the creative process is important to contemporary creative production because such a deep engagement can function as a critical tool and creative vehicle that enhances the recognition of variables that shape social reality for the production of art and design.
