Chapter 3. The Wrong Way to Draw a Line

If there is one thing computers excel at, it’s following instructions with a high degree of accuracy. This is partly why they have revolutionized design, architecture, manufacturing, the sciences, and countless other fields.

But precision is of only limited interest to us in the context of generative art. There is a certain joylessness in perfect accuracy; the natural world isn’t like that. If our art were to achieve such perfection, it might be dismissed as overly mechanical.

Obversely, although we may crave forms with imperfection and unpredictability, we don’t want that imperfection to wander too far into indistinction, either. We’re looking for the sweet spot: that balance between the organic and ...

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