Restoration / Regeneration

the New Media Caucus Symposium

March 6-8, 2026

Arizona State University

Technomantic Coding: Sigilization and Processing

11:15AM to 1:15PM
Duration: 1 hr

Description

This workshop introduces participants to the intersection of creative coding and contemporary occult methodologies through the framework of a fusion of technical systems and magical thinking. Drawing on Austin Osman Spare’s sigilization technique influential on chaos magick, participants will translate personal intentions into symbolic forms, then reimagine these sigils through algorithmic and machinic processes using the Processing programming environment. The session begins with a short presentation connecting historical sigil-making to digital abstraction and machine vision. Participants will then hand-draw sigils on paper derived from short written statements of intent. These will be captured using laptop webcams and processed in Processing, where participants will learn how to manipulate form, pattern, and motion through simple code structures. The workshop concludes with a collective reflection on how creative computation can function as a form of ritual inscription and how the act of coding can serve as both technical and metaphysical practice. The format combines short lecture, guided coding demos, and individual experimentation. No prior programming experience is required. Participants will be guided through code templates step by step. The workshop’s goal is to provide participants with both a conceptual framework and practical tools for integrating personal symbolism, computational aesthetics, and alternative epistemologies into their creative practice.

Artists

Alan Perry

School of the Art Institute of Chicago