-> To join this or other workshops, first purchase a Mapping LAB ticket here and then register (for either a full-day or two half-day workshops) here.

Unpacking the anatomy of Bézier paths and vector geometry, artist and designer Jürg Lehni will teach participants how to use the Paper.js scripting framework to generate complex graphics and build dynamic drawing tools that can be used manually or procedurally.

Paper.js is a vector graphics framework for JavaScript that its creators, Jürg Lehni and Jonathan Puckey, describe as “the Swiss army knife of vector graphics scripting.” Launched as a browser-based successor to Lehni’s famous Scriptographer and used for high-profile web projects by The New York Times, FourSquare, and Google Creative Lab, Paper.js offers a unique approach to working with graphics that in the words of Zach Lieberman “feels like coding directly inside a vector graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator.” After an introduction to the fundamentals of Bézier paths and vector geometry, workshop participants will learn how to use the Paper.js vocabulary to create and then animate complex graphics. Building on that knowledge, we will design intuitive drawing tools that can be used manually while responding dynamically to velocity or direction.

Workshop duration: half-day
Workshop language: English/ French (depending on the participants preference)
Number of participants: 12 max.
Requirements: a computer with any modern browser (supporting the Canvas object and EcmaScript 5) / participants should feel comfortable working with entry-level JavaScript and are encouraged to experiment with Paper.js before the workshop.

About Jürg Lehni: Jürg Lehni works collaboratively across disciplines, dealing with the nuances of technology, tools, and the human condition. His works often take the form of platforms and scenarios for production and research, such as the drawing machines Hektor, Rita, and Viktor, as well as software-based frameworks, including Paperjs.org, Scriptographer.org and Vectorama.org. Lehni has shown work at the MoMA New York, SFMOMA, Walker Art Center, Centre Pompidou, Institute of Contemporary Arts London, and Design Museum London.