FEBRUARY PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Technology A recent project has got me thinking about technology and weaving. The techniques that we use for a lot of our fiber-arts work are ancient. The majority of the work that I do with silk dates back to the Neolithic period (New Stone Age), and most of the weaving techniques I use are medieval. I think that for a lot of us, this is deeply tied to the parts of the craft that appeal to us most - because these old technologies involve the artisan intimately in the process, they are therapeutic and satisfying. We make a personal contribution to the piece at every step. On the other hand, we live in a very technologically sophisticated modern world. I’m composing this message on a laptop only slightly larger than a hardback novel; when it’s complete, I’ll send it by email to our newsletter editor, who will check over it and insert it into the newsletter with publishing software and email it out. We’re talking about twill weave and basketry and brocade, but the medium of the conversation is very modern. The project that got me thinking about the old-and-new was weaving QR (Quick Response) code - this is the square barcode format that you can read with a smart phone. The little block of code can hold up to 20 characters of text - enough for a short message, a couple of phone numbers, a website address. I used a web-based generator to make the code design, then imported it into a graphing program to turn it into a chart. Once I printed out the chart, though, the rest of the process was very medieval - I used tablets threaded with black and white yarn to weave the pattern, wet-finished the band, hand-stitched it together to make a little pouch. The finished pouch is just the right size to hold some more modern technology that I need to have on me just about any time I leave the house - an ID and a credit card. With the majority of the weaving design that I do, I use the PatternMaker software. Most of the time, I import photos or designs as an underlay, allowing me to sketch the pattern over the top, deciding how to place each stitch to make the final design work to best effect. With the QR code, there was nothing that I could contribute to the design besides error - it was really best to have the computer convert all the stitches. I feel a little conflicted about using the design software, especially for this kind of full conversion - does it make the pattern less my own work? Or does it simply move the place where I make the creative contribution to the piece? I know that a lot of our Guild members use a blend of ancient and modern technologies - whether it’s designing a draft on a computer to weave on a shaft loom, or a loom where the computer pulls the heddles - or just learning about spindle-spinning from an E-book. How does technology impact your weaving or spinning, and do you feel that it changes the character of the finished work? (and, for those of you who aren’t on the smart-phone bandwagon - the front flap of the pouch says, “Yes, I wove it.”) click here for image Michael Cook |
