Mesh Agency

The paper presented at ACADIA 2014 argues that complex mesh geometries can be productively understood as traces and artefacts of meaningful behaviors in computer experiments. Exploring this proposition, the discussion below considers one approach for achieving locally differentiated surface effects from generated mesh geometry and offers an example of a project that employs these techniques to support critical designing (Dunne, 2005). This interpretation of a computational object as an active participant in a design process is innovative in the context where objects like meshes are typically thought of as neutral tools. Similarly, mesh analysis techniques are widely used in other fields, such as geophysical or medical imaging, but their application in architecture is limited. Reconsideration of meshes as objects with agency can be extended to other computational entities resulting in significant implications for design thinking and design craftsmanship.