Algorithmic Botany

Sean Catangui argues that algorithmic botany, writing code to model and draw plants, is best understood as a form of mythology rather than an attempt to mimic reality. He draws on John Berger's view that art imitates a creation rather than nature, and on Byung-Chul Han's claim that Chinese art operates like nature rather than depicting it realistically. Catangui says the algorithms used in his School for Poetic Computation course are not necessarily the most capable at rendering plant images; instead, they help students connect basic programming ideas to how plants and fungi arrange their parts. He also notes that human authorship is visible in gardens, farms and controlled-burn forests.