Pattern Language

Matt DesLauriers, Kjetil Golid and Andreas Rau

Artwork Description:

In Pattern Language, the rich traditions of weaving in Western Norway are reinterpreted in the context of our contemporary technology-driven reality. Traditional weave patterns drawn from the archive of the Norwegian Travel Museum in Balestrand are juxtaposed with computer icons inspired by 1980s graphical user interfaces and woven into computer-generated tapestries. The inherent symbolism within the two languages, the old and the new, raises questions about the changing realities of life over the past centuries. Audiences are invited to explore different variations of the algorithm, taking an active role in the creation of the virtual tapestries that also form the base of several jacquard-woven textiles presented as part of the installation. The tradition of weaving Åkle, a type of Norwegian pattern-based rugs, goes back to the middle ages. It is characterized by the use of certain abstract symbols and patterns, often bearing religious or mystical meaning, and arranged using a grid-based approach. This allowed for endless combinations of patterns through alterations, mirroring, scaling, and repetition, making each of the rugs recognisably part of its tradition while being visually unique. Similarly, the code-based approach of Pattern Language describes the visual system rather than individual outputs. In the interactive installation, viewers are invited to explore these mechanics by manipulating the projected visual outputs through a physical interface. Rearranging patterned wooden blocks, they affect different parameters of the algorithm that alter, mirror, scale or repeat both old and new patterns to create a near infinite amount of outputs from the shared pattern language.

Project Collaborators:

Team Silje Forbes Christopher Bisset Kunstbygda Balestrand Video TYD Support Sogndal Kommune Kunstbygda Balestrand Balestrand Kunstlag Norske Kunstforeninger Norled