This project was a research project into our connection with our tools in both a manual and digital form. The aim was to create computer generated textiles combining the two worlds. Along my journey I found that there are many points of intervention in the process of making from the artist, designer or inventor when using digital tools including AI to the point where I fell out of favour with the term ‘computer generated’.

weaving

These pieces are based on images I generated with code based on the work of Anni Albers, they visually differ as I developed my weaving skills but this highlights how pieces can be so different from the same computer generated image.
The code was created on p5.js using the typical grid-like but random motifs of Albers. This grid was then translated onto a self made loom before being hand woven into a large tapestry. The second piece has been displayed at 198 Gallery in Brixton and Cromwell Place in South Kensington. It is available for display and sale.

knitting

The above are 2 variations of an image created from AI generated weaving patterns. They were made as part of a plan for a scarf and are shown here to appreciate each stage in the making process and highlight the changes between digital and physical.
The first image above demonstrates the outcome of training a GAN on a dataset of weaving patterns to be able to see an AI generated pattern. The image below it is the post-process image that can be read by a knitting machine. I took the image and created an ‘AI generated scarf’.