About a year ago, I was relying on this classic weaving book to develop structures for tufted carpet design and then to develop prints that looked like weaves. I’d sporadically translated some of the diagrams into digital patterns in the past, when I decided to take the time to digitize whole sections of the book to create a library of patterns that I could mix and match whenever I needed.
Fig 918 digitized from "A Handbook of Weaves"
In part, I wanted to spend time understanding how each of these tiny patterns works in detail because they’re remarkably creative and varied but economical with the little space that they have. I spent several days translating them and developing and appreciation for the balance in them, and the ways that one little dot could change the movement in a pattern once the tile is repeated.
Once translated in to weaves, the smallest of these patterns become integrated with the materiality of the cloth to read as textures that carry light differently, but when viewed as large graphics they hold their own as remarkably balanced patterns that feel both traditional but bold and radical. They are the original Op-Art.
As I was thinking about this new project using Jacquard weaving, I knew I wanted to use the classic patterns somehow. I loved the thought of giving a nod to the hand-loom weaving on a machine that can do anything.
To express that “anything,” I wanted to use another set of patterns that accomplished the same thing as the classic weaves but with a completely different style. Unconstrained by the technology of modern looms, I decided that I would pair these weaving patterns with something that felt alien, organic, and weird. Both types of patterns could be completely balanced at a large scale but move in completely different ways - remaining independent but in conversation with one another. I referred to images that I’d been collecting that felt related to this and set to work creating a technique to create my own.
Creating balanced organic patterns by hand on the computer. Areas were painted in and erased away repeatedly to make all of the spacing the same.
The pattern is made binary, like the weaving diagrams.
For the fabric structure, I chose to use a double-weave with two warp and weft ends that switch in their own pairings to create four different colors in the cloth - changing the way the fabric reads at different angles and in different lights. I’m excited to keep exploring this type of woven construction in the future as I create new designs.
The final work in detail.
I’m thrilled to hear the reception of this work so far and I’m excited to continue this new series. If you have any thoughts or other inquiries, please reach out.
