Metatool I

We are aliens from another solar system, observing a group of architects. These architects seem to be thinking about a location in space that they call a site. Armed with an arsenal of tools, they visit the location, talk to people, take photographs, sketch, model, look at the computer. They look at pieces of paper on tablets and walls, point at computer screens, hold physical objects. When they spend time on their screens, they manipulate maps, models, diagrams, spreadsheets, images, photographs, photorealistic renderings. Let us ask: Where do their tools come from? The core thesis of Metatool is: to design critically, intentionally, intelligently, and playfully, designers must have the ability to design new critical, experimental, and playful design tools.