Creative Coding as a School of Thought

Published by Tim on Wednesday June 22, 2022

Last modified on March 2nd, 2023 at 16:02

Me defending my master thesis

Our world is changing at a breathtaking pace. Technological progress is continuously leading to significant transformations. It is high time that we, as designers, courageously and critically engage with the technologies that shape our everyday lives. This requires that we consequently engage with the hidden structures that are hidden behind the visible surfaces. One method that makes this possible is called Creative Coding.

When I started my master’s program in 2019, I had one question in mind that would become the linchpin for me in the following years: What is Creative Coding? And taken a step further: What can Creative Coding be? I wanted to find out which cultural and philosophical aspects are hidden in the intersection of art and programming and how I, as a teacher, can make it easier for my students to access this fascinating world. In doing so, I ventured far into realms I knew very little about, such as educational policy, philosophy, art history, and pedagogy. The result of this thought process is not a finished, closed system, but rather a collage of different perspectives, ideas, quotes and derivations. I had to realize that I could not comprehensively understand my complex subject. In this I surprisingly discovered the great chance to look at it from completely new angles.

By freeing myself from the demand to work in a purely scientific way and by integrating narratives and personal experiences, I was able to connect topics that actually have nothing to do with each other. Thus, the result of this work is not only five essays, each looking at the topic from a particular perspective, but rather my individual way of writing about the subject. With these writings, I hope to spark new discussions about Creative Coding and make a broader perspective on the topic accessible to more people.