Maeda’s Reactive Books were among the first works to explore the expressive possibilities of interactive media. Each book presents a graphical response to a different input: the mouse (Flying Letters), time (12 o’clocks), the keyboard (Tap, Type, Write), and video (Mirror Mirror). The Reactive Square brings real-time motion to Kazimir Malevich’s iconic Suprematist painting Black Square (1915): the stark, imposing shape of the original reacts to audio input with fluttering, shattering, and other movements.

Gallery label from

Never Alone: Video Games and Other Interactive Design, September 10, 2022–July 16, 2023

Medium .1: 15 page fold-out letterpress booklet .2: Interactive software
Dimensions .1 book: 6 3/8 x 4 1/2 x 1/4" (16.2 x 11.4 x 0.6 cm) .2 diskette: 3 3/4 x 3 1/2 x 1/8" (9.5 x 8.9 x 0.3 cm)
Credit Gift of the designer with additional support from Samsung
Object number 461.2006.1-2
Department Architecture & Design

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