Kolam in Stitches and Code

Experiments in embroidering kolam patterns using drawing and code.

This project is a collaboration between myself and Alex McLean, a musician (Yaxu) and researcher. I was funded by ThenTryThis and Alex’s UKRI Fellowship to explore Kolam patterns for the Algorithmic Pattern project residency in Sheffield, UK.

During the residency, Alex and I experimented with machine-embroidered grid structures and musical Strudel rhythms for drawing Kolams in stitches and code. The idea was to play with Kolam-drawing in different mediums such as embroidery and music, and explore their intersections to appreciate the historic craft using novel approaches.

We documented the entire residency process in this article.