De Landa

I suppose we are all somewhat fascinated by the "egg designer" analogy.

De Landa writes that to achieve the potential of genetic algorithm in design, designers are no longer specifying forms but boundaries and constraints. To allow for the evolution of more complex and interesting forms, sets of primary codes/rules must be generated. Designers set constraints but must not foresee any particular result; indeed, the "evolutionary result [is] to be truly surprising". When the algorithm ceases to produce surprises it is no different than a simple CAD program that produces rigid polygons. It is the different intensities that drive the evolutionary process and thus the complexity of forms.

The challenge to designers, therefore, is to know what and to what extent these intensities are to be employed. To achieve this, designers need to acquire the understanding of the complexity of material. They are to become, to a certain degree, craftsmen whose craft is often overlooked.