Another example, which a friend with a background in architectural studies recently pointed out to me, is that with the introduction of each new software used in architecture, a new trend is born. For example, the release of Maya 3D sparkled blob-architecture, whose shapes were specific to this software and could easily be traced back to the lines of software code from which they were generated.
This leads to another interesting question: who is the producer and who is the consumer in this software setup? In a way the software companies are the producers of the environment in which certain ideas develop. One could argue this by saying software is just a tool in the process of developing and communicating ideas, but in the case of Maya, the generative algorithm is created by a software developer. Isn’t it true that the ‘designer’ is actualising a potential form generated by the software developer’s algorithm?
— van Schaik, Michael. “The Shrink-Wrapped Design Process.” Floss + Art. Eds. Mansoux, Aymeric and Marloes de Valk. Poitiers: GOTO10, 2008. 180-91
