Chaos Design Software

vides a set of choices within the technological terrain. Here, domestic technology is used as a metaphor for the history of the machine-human interface , and the change and manipulation within the woman’s workplace becomes apparent as domestic appliances seductively present themselves over a landscape flowingwith the curves of the female body. A typical advertisement slogan is used to reaffirm this: the viewer is asked to ‘‘Just step into the technology of Tomorrow.” At another point the viewer can also “Flip through these Eyecatching Headlines ,”as the screen displays authentic pages of magazine headlines from each era. Another menu displays the caption “Travelwith us into Another World” and allows the participant to witness transport on a boat, a train, a car and a plane, respective of the shifts in mobility development that took place over this century. The heraldic statements are intentionally seductive and reminiscent of the selling methods used to convince the average buyer. I made Paradise Tossed in the hope that the participant would see through the seduction . A key to this critical viewpoint is seen in an interactive loop: a woman’s hands hold a revolving globe of our blue world; a caption says, “Where do we go from here?” interactive work that will encompass questing stories from eight women’s lives-two from each era-and four sets of archival photographs that the participant can browse through. Paradise Tossed is a section of a larger CHAOS DESIGN SOFTWARE Greg Padfield, 64 Attfield St., Fremantle, Western Australia 6160, Australia. Received 8June 1993. Accepted for publication by RogerE Malina. An understanding of chaos and its features has profound consequencesfor designers in the future. As a result of studying the elements we commonly find within chaos (nonlinearity, feedback and iterative processes), I have created Chaos Design Software. allowing chaotic visual effects to take place. The computer not only specialises in “number-crunching”but also performs iterative functionswith ease, making it ideal for algorithmic image-processing work. The computer is the perfect tool for Being intensely interested in whether chaos could affect images in a twodimensional (2D) sense, I went about designing computer software that would do precisely that. This software is still in a pre-release stage, yet it is already yielding interesting results. This software is currently being tested and assessed by design students attending Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia . The computer platform being used is the Commodore Amiga 4000 using a 68040 microprocessor. An example of work currently being produced with the software is shown in Color Plate A No. 1.The software has been created for the designer working in two dimensions, such as surface design , graphics, typography or conceptual 2D designs. I hope that it will open up new possibilities for designers. How It Works First, an image is imported into the program and this initial image becomes the “seed”from which new generations are produced. To start chaotic image-processing the operator selects a series of options from the menu. The choices include the type of mapping desired (pen or color, pixel or duplicate function), which can be initiated in various modes (synchronous, asynchronous) coupled with two chaotic formulas (quadratic or cubic).These are all affected by the amount of noise and/or attractor force that is applied to each image. As the process begins, it is mapped in a clockwise direction in four iterative screenseach iteration is counted and displayed (as are all other relevant data) on the control panel on the right. Iterations continue unabated until the program is requested to stop. Any image displayed on the screen can be saved, reloaded and reprocessed. It is possible to mix various options. For example, one may want to affect the mapping in two ways, acting not only on the colour availability but also on the pixel locations. The program employs a “user-friendly”environment including pull-down menus, windows, on-screen help and a fixed control panel. What It Produces The program has a number of features that can assist the designer. It creates new palettes from a virtually infinite range of colour options. These can be applied to a specific design, allowing the designer new choices. The program also creates interesting...