Digital technologies are successful tools in contemporary design. Their ascent, however, is a continuation of well-tried and reliable analog processes. No matter whether paper or digital approach — the designer organizes elements by hand. They devise aesthetic rules for their work and play with them until the final product is achieved. Created in collaboration with more than 70 media artists and developers from across the world, Written Images is the first of its kind. A ‘programmed book’, continuously regenerated for the digital printing process, offering each reader a unique experience.The project was first announced in February 2010. The project to date has received over 70 image generating software programs. A jury then singled out the most creative and successful submissions to be included in the book, forty-two in total. With the support of Kickstarter, Written Images are able to produce the first edition of this unique book and also introduce the “Written Images” print-on-demand service.“Written Images” links these technical innovations and uses them to produce an ever-changing art book.
Image generating programs interpret data taken from the internet or visualise self created figures. They calculate and save unique and complex high resolution visual worlds.These calculations are repeated for every copy of the book. They will be performed by a program designed for this purpose and will then be arranged to allow printing.This procedure is print on demand in its most extreme form, since every book can be understood as a unique printing assignment which generates a single copy with every permutation of the process.A generative book that presents programmed images by various artists. Each print in process will be calculated individually – which makes every single book unique.