Inspired by Casey Reas' Process Compendium, these visuals represent the products of an explorative exercise in developing processes of control. Linguist M. A. K. Halliday, in Relevant Models of Language, cites “manipulating and controlling the environment” as one of the many functions of language. Reas’ textual definition of his generative processes, using vocabulary such as element, form, and behavior, positions language as a potential method of asserting control over algorithmic design work.

Clouds, or Process 1, is described below. This textual description was translated into a Processing sketch, which produces the wireframe iterations of the process. Additional rendering is then performed in Adobe Illustrator.

Form 1: Line

Behavior 1: Create a new instance of the form, with random position and random length within a given range, once every specified time interval. If a previous instance exists, then set the start point of the new instance to the end point of the previous instance.

Element 1: Form 1 + Behavior 1

Behavior 2: Create a new instance of the element once every specified time interval.

Behavior 3: Terminate the process upon the creation of a specified number of elements.

Process 1: Element 1 + Behavior 2 + Behavior 3