Painterly Formation

BACKGROUND This textural work gives an overview of 'Painterly Formation' - one of Snooks' design strategies that emerges through the combination of behavioural algorithms with the gestural qualities of painterly operations. The article was published in the journal 'New Geographies' (November 2016 issue, pp 136-139) and was accompanied by three images. Snooks' imagery was also featured on the cover of the publication and on the title pages throughout. CONTRIBUTION In this article, Snooks describes the process of 'Painterly Formation', a hybrid created through a complex series of interactions between self-organizing algorithms and painterly/gestural formation. This culminates in a technique wherein geometry is created through brush strokes, defining 'mass rather than surface... redeployed as a thick texture rather than a controlled spatial operation'. This is part of a larger approach to design described as 'behavioural formation' involving 'strange feedback' between direct models and multi-agent algorithms. This textural work articulates two larger research trajectories by Roland Snooks. The first is to develop and articulate a behavioural approach to architectural design that draws from the logic of swarm intelligence and operates through multi-agent algorithms. The second is an exploration of the implications of robotic fabrication on architectural design. SIGNIFICANCE 'New Geographies' is an annual journal of critical essays and design projects relating to the expanded agency of the designer. It is founded and produced by Harvard University Graduate School of Design and published by Harvard University Press.