Algorithmic Lace: Leveraging Mathematics in Design for Craft Resistance

Abstract

The mathematics of craft have created rich and diverse material cultures. Through craft, humans have shared a common language of patterns, proportions, and expressions inspired by the complexity of the natural world. We pass this knowledge on through generations, each time making things more complex and techniques more robust. This passing on of generational knowledge is one of the things that creates our individual cultural identities, however many crafts across the world are in decline. By analyzing the structure of crafts computationally, we can create a hybrid approach that lays a foundation for use in the 21st century. This paper uses bobbin lace, a historic technique used to make decorative textiles, to look at the process of using visual scripting and algorithmic modeling, demonstrating how the mathematics of design can utilize crafts that embody our cultures and histories.