XYZ Design

XYZ Design is a series of  computer-generated structures made of CNC cut flat timber modules. It is aimed at showcasing design collaborations between humans and algorithms.

Daily workshops are held with a machine that prints out a set of instructions for a group of participants to team up and assemble a small artefact. The artefacts are made of a single timber module type which interlocks itself. The participants try to assemble the complex structures and ultimately decide if they want to follow the rules set by the machine or if they want to disrupt the instructions and co-design the artefacts.

The workshops enable debates around the themes of “Power and the Making”. They challenge the public who ultimately will decide to follow the robot designer… or not. The idea of a synthetic collaborative design vs a god-like design is particularly relevant at times when one possible future sees our jobs taken by robots.