It is a handmade weaving using poly and viscose threads with a DIY cardboard loom. It is a physicalization of a digital image I had previously made by Java: Every Color is a Point.

I was weaving by staring at the screen and observing the digital image. I chose and switched colors by my impression. My threads did not have all the colors I need so I tangled similar colors to generate a “new color”. Each strip is 2” x 8” so four strips combined together is 8” x 8”. I weaved them separately because it is very complex to change colors vertically.

Process

Compared to coding, weaving is much more time-consuming. Before this work, I had no experience in weaving so I took a lot of practices. At first, I started with 2 square panels. My weavings had very uneven edges. Therefore, the height and width of each strip did not equal either.

Then, I learned how to make the edge even by controlling the tension. I should leave a few spaces when lifting the threads. I also put a pen alongside the warp to estimate the evenness. After messing up three panels, my next two practices had a bit improvements though the edge was still slightly disproportional. I also noticed each shape did not look like a square so for the official crafting, I decided to measure it with a ruler.

After enough practices, I officially started the project. Compared to my previous weavings, it had a significant improvement though it may have a few freckles when you look closely. Since I was using the thinnest thread, it was very easy to get dead knots when I was pulling and tying the thread. I also wasted many threads. When I threw them on the ground, the pile looked like cut hair on a barber shop.

After finishing the weaving part, removing it from the cardboard is also a tricky task. Although I previously had removed my practicing work, it was still a difficult task to handle because cutting the warp can heavily cause the loss of tension. As you can see from the last image, my weavings become very loose.

If you only look at the last result, it looks crude and sloppy. But if you have looked the entire process and have compared all the images, you may think the last weaving has grew a lot. I could have instructed a weaving machine to do the job and it must have a much better result than mine. However, I would lose the joy seeing my growth.

I was very enjoying and accustomed to this slow process. I was sitting on a chair, listening to music, and looking at the laptop for most of the time. I feel pleasure by having an ordinary life.

Real 3D Projector

For displaying the work, I used my laptop as a 3D projector to project the digital image as the handmade weaving. It is not a common 3D projector. It can transform digital forms to real physical objects.

I especially want to exhibit my work in this way because I want to show a strong correlation between the digital and physical forms. Regretfully, I did not record the weaving process so I cannot directly show you how the work was made. However, the projector does not show you the process either. It just simply projects a 3D object on the wall. The projector itself does not know how the object was made. It only knows how to use light to display things in a dark room.

My way of displaying the work is opposite to my emphasis on the process but ironically, people usually will ignore the process and will only focus on the result. I do not want to blame this behavior because sometimes it is unnecessary to know all the details how things were made. However, I do not appreciate the attitude that undermines the importance of process. Due to this prejudice, art has not received enough respects from general people. I want to change the situation by showing processes in a more proper and effective way.