Toward a Minor Tech:Kim5000
Weaving and Computing: Exploring the Parallels and Digital Nature of Traditional Craft
Abstract
This essay explores the parallels between digital computing and traditional craft, specifically weaving and the Korean traditional woolen carpet, modam. The history of computing can be traced back to the nineteenth century with Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine and Herman Hollerith’s tabulating machine that used punched cards for information storage and/or automatic control which was based on the punched card system of the Jacquard loom, which was invented in 1804 by Joseph-Marie Jacquard. However, weaving and computers both process data in binary terms, and the development of weaving notations allowed for attempts at automated looms. This essay emphasizes the ancient practice of weaving for its digital nature than the Jacqauard loom. The significance of this approach lies in the exploration of traditional weaving techniques in non-western areas. The article draws parallels between modam (a type of traditional Korean weaving) and computing. It discusses how tapestry weaving can be seen as a form of computation, as the pattern of the design is essentially an algorithm that dictates which color of thread should be woven and where. It also mentions the historical role of women in weaving and computing, and how the relationship between weavers and weaving machines is similar to the (gendered) body as a component of the machine in the information processing in the early days of computation. The article concludes by discussing the idea of a Computational Universe and the importance of finding ways to combine traditional and computational perspectives in a mutually beneficial way.
Keywords
weaving; digital computing; traditional craft; modam; ancient practice of weaving; historical role of women in computing
Introduction
Last Sunday, I encountered modam, a Korean traditional woolen carpet for the first time in my life at the Textile Museum of Canada. I visited the museum’s opening of Gathering, an exhibition that features 40 pieces from the Museum’s permanent collection of over 15,000 objects from around the world. There were open calls for artists to make digital responses to their collection which led me to find modam in their collection and make a small video about its history, and how it slowly disappeared. Not only was I happy to see my work displaying side by side with the modam, but I was also taken by the beauty and the magnitude of the object itself. I had only seen it in digital scans and not in reality, so I was at first astonished by the sheer size of the tapestry. Due to its length being greater than the height of the gallery wall, only 2/3 of the tapestry was visible as it was hung on the wall. Therefore, the visual elements of the tapestry were much larger than I expected, in which the central crane was the size of a large rabbit or a medium-sized dog that gave me the illusion of flying right into my face. While I already have numerous questions and curiosities regarding various aspects of the carpet and its arrival in Canada, its size has sparked another significant question in my mind: "What was the purpose behind creating such a large carpet?"
Korean tapestry is not a well-known practice, being unfamiliar even to a lot of Koreans. Had I not found the carpet in the Textile Museum of Canada, I would have not known about it either. Records show that patterned wool carpets have existed in Korea since the Three Kingdom Period (57 BC – 668 AD) and were actively produced during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). (Paintings in Thread MODAM 30) However, production of modam decreased in the 17th century arguably because, by then, ondol, the traditional Korean underfloor heating system was widely supplied in households and people no longer needed carpets to insulate the floor. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 32) No carpets from the early Joseon period have survived, and there are only 70 remaining from the late Joseon period (16th-19th century) in the world. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 29) Recently, there has been an ongoing effort to introduce modam to the public and research them in a few Korean museums.
This essay aims to draw parallels between digital computing and traditional craft such as weaving, with a specific focus on the Korean traditional carpet, modam and its practice. My research focuses on exploring the history and significance of the modam, utilizing auto theory as a methodology. I am particularly interested in this topic due to the trajectory of how I discovered and became acquainted with it. It opens many questions about technology, the disappearance of cultural heritage, its diaspora, etc. The joint history of weaving and computing has led to many discussions and creative projects between the two disparate disciplines. How can older ways of pattern creation embodied in traditional craft relate to and inform computational technologies? What might we learn from the historical and cultural modalities of modam and its different layers of image composition This essay begins with the more well-known history about the application of punched cards in early computing informed by the Jacquard weaving loom. Then it discusses the digital nature of weaving and how it has been a binary art form since its beginning regardless of the punched card. I introduce different aspects of modam, the Korean traditional woolen carpet about its history, disappearance, production method etc. Lastly, I explore ways to consider these aspects into finding ways for traditional and computational perspectives to work together.
Beginning of Computing History
Many histories of computing begin with the Analytical Engine that Charles Babbage attempted to build in the nineteenth century. Babbage developed his first idea for a computing machine between 1820-21 called a Difference Engine. This machine could calculate mathematical tables by the method of constant differences, print the tables, and run by steam. His next plan was to build the Analytical Engine that would solve any mathematical problems, not just those problems based on constant differences and numerical progressions. Starting in 1836, h worked with the plans until his death in 1871. (Poague 16) Babbage never completed the machine because the state of engineering at the time could not support the machine. When Babbage was sketching out ideas for such an engine in the 1830s, neither he nor anyone else could draw on electrical technology to implement his ideas and everything had to be done mechanically. Given the necessary level of complexity that a computer must have, a mechanical computer of decent power was not practical then, and not today either (Ceruzzi 6).
For that reason, one might begin the history of “actual” universal computing machines in the late nineteenth century, when the American inventor Herman Hollerith developed a tabulating machine to process the 1890 US Census. Hollerith developed a suite of machines that not only tabulated the Census information but that also sorted information according to different kinds of data which could then be analyzed by the machine (Poague 17). The use of electricity gave this machine the flexibility to perform even more complex operations. (Ceruzzi 7) Hollerith’s tabulation system led to many applications beyond that of the US Census. He founded the Tabulation Machine Company to market his inventions, which was later combined with other companies to form the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (C-T-R). In 1924, the new head of C-T-R, Thomas Watson, changed the name to the International Business Machines Corporation, which is well known as today’s IBM. (Ceruzzi 7)
Punched cards system in Analytical Engine & Tabulating machine
Whether we start the history of computing with Babbage’s Analytical Machine or Hollerith’s Tabulating machine, it is important to note that both machines used punched cards as a form of information storage and/or automatic control. Punched cards played an important role in computing history and were regularly used to program computers until the 1960s.
Hollerith’s tabulating machine used a method of storing information coded as holes punched onto card stock. Punched cards are paper cards with a grid of locations that can be punched out to represent data. For example, there was a series of holes for marital status. If you were married, you would punch out the married stop, then when the card was inserted into the Hollerith’s machine, little metal pins would come down over the card. If a spot was punched out, the pin would pass through the hole in the paper and into a little vial of mercury, which completed the circuit. The completed circuit powered an electric motor, which turned the gear to add one, in this case, to the ‘married’ total. A hole or a non-hole to represent and store data on paper cards (married or not married) anticipated information stored in digital form.
Babbage’s Analytical Engine used punched cards as a control function. The concept of automatic control, the ancestor of what we now call software, is as important as the information storage to make up a computer. Mechanical control can be traced back to antiquity, to a device that had been used to control machinery for centuries: a cylinder on which were mounted pegs, which tripped levers as it rotated. (Ceruzzi 8) Babbage’s Analytical Engine was to contain a number of such cylinders to carry more detailed sequences of operations that are directed by the punched cards. Today we might call it the computer’s microprogramming, or read-only memory (ROM) (Ceruzzi 9). Analytical Engine used punched cards for programming the machine by providing three types of cards. His operation cards held instructions for the engine. The variable cards carried symbols and values of variables in equations as well as constants. And his number cards supplied numbers for tables and logs. Like a modern-day computer, the Analytical Engine could make decisions based on its own calculated results; it could do branching, loops or subroutines (Poague 17). Although never fully constructed, Analytical Engine was an ‘automatic computer’ that could guide itself through a series of operations automatically, which foreshadowed computer programs. English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote hypothetical programs for the Analytical Engine. For this work, she is considered the world’s first programmer Ada Lovelace was the main collaborator of Babbage’s Analytical Engine who is also known for her famous quote, “It will weave algebraic equations the way a Jacquard loom weaves flowers.” (Poague 16) Lovelace applied her mathematical imagination to the plans for the Analytical Engine and Babbage's vision of its potential. She sketched out the possibility of using the machine to perform all sorts of tasks beyond number crunching. Sydney Padua describes Lovelace’s original contribution as one that is foundational to the field of computer science: “By manipulating symbols according to rules, any kind of information, not only numbers, can be operated on by automatic processes.” Lovelace had made the leap from calculation to computation. (O’Shea 121)
Jacquard Loom, before the Analytical Engine & Tabulating machine
It is well known that Babbage’s invention is based on the punched card system and the formal mechanics of the Jacquard’s loom, an automated weaving loom that used a series of punched cards to create complex patterns more economically. The Jacquard loom was invented in 1804 by the Frenchman Joseph-Marie Jacquard, who implemented punched cards to control the weaving of cloth by selectively lifting threads according to a predetermined pattern (Ceruzzi 8).
The process of making a fabric on a Jacquard loom involves a number of steps, including the making of the pattern by hand and transferring it on a checkered point paper (which becomes the “pixel resolution” of the final image), translating the design onto the punched cards, threading the loom (passing each warp thread through the heddles), and the actual weaving process (Fernaeus, et al. 1596). The key feature of this process and the invention of Jacquard loom is again the use of punched cards where fabric patterns are represented in the form of holes and the absence of holes in a long chain of punched cards stitched together (Fernaeus, et al. 1597). When the stitched cards are fed into the loom in a continuous belt, each card comes in contact with the needle board and is pressed against it. The needles that pass through the holes remain in the same position whereas all other needles would be pushed back. In turn, particular heddles that correspond to the needles that stayed in place would be raised, while other heddles would not. In short, the punched holes in each card control which warp threads to be raised per shed, thus creating the weaving pattern. The mechanics of the punched cards could be regarded as the binary representation, making it possible to ‘digitize’ material objects, creating a form of ‘code’ only possible to interpret by running it through a mechanical device. It is in this sense the Jacquard loom is often discussed as being a predecessor of the modern-day computer (Fernaeus, et al. 1597).
From the standpoint of loom technology, Jacquard loom completed and perfected the mechanism that automated the loom using punched cards. However, the binary control using holes and non-holes already existed in previous efforts such as Basil Bouchon’s invention in 1725 that used a band of perforated paper tape, Jean Baptiste Falcon’s invention in in 1728 that introduced a loop of punched cards, and Jacques de Vaucanson’s invention in 1745 which was the first automated loom. Jacquard did not invent the binary structure of weaving, let alone the punched card system. What he did was construct the first feasible and widely used mechanism that replaced the human being (so-called drawboy lifting the warp threads on behalf of the weaver thus controlling the weave pattern) with the punched cards to feed in the pattern information.
Digital nature of weaving
However, the connection between weaving and computers cannot be reduced to the role of punched cards. As a computer scientist and a weaver, Martin Davis and Virginia Davis aim to correct the misconception of the Jacquard loom as the ancestor of computers in their article. They argue that the Jacquard loom is no more like a computer than a player piano is, which also operates on punched holes as an input device. They argue that punched cards are only the peripheral device that brings data into or out of the machine which should not be taken for the computer itself (Davis and Davis, 79). Weaving and digital computers naturally process data in similar ways regardless of the punched cards because to weave means to decide whether a warp thread is to be picked up or not. Therefore, weaving has been a binary art from its very beginning as stated by the computer pioneer Heinz Zemanek (Harlizius-Klück 179). When we speak of representing data in weaving as 1s and 0s, or in binary terms, we’re speaking of the interlacements that occur when a warp thread is raised, thus covering the weft thread, or not raised, thus covered by the weft thread. The holes on the punched card merely represent which warp threads to be raised. If the binary nature of weaving information is already an essential element that links looms and computers, there is no reason to prefer Jacquard’s mechanism even if Babbage preferred it (Harlizius-Klück 182). When referring to the prehistory of processing information, Heinz Zemanek not only states that each crossing of two threads means a natural digital point but goes even further to say that weaving gives more ideas than we think about parallel processing. According to him, weaving, in contrast to mathematics, is a naturally parallel process (Harlizius-Klück 183).
Ellen Harlizius-Klück also suggests the development of weaving notations found in the 17th and 18th centuries, before the line of drawloom improvement efforts as another reason to not become fixated on the Jacquard mechanism and the punched cards for their contribution to computers. For millennia, pattern weaving was done without notation. Skilled weavers did not make plans in advance, developing each and every step of the process and documenting these single steps in writing. The loom parts, like heddles or shafts, store most of the necessary information and skilled weavers can read bindings and patterns directly from fabric. In this sense, fabric samples were the best and most commonly used memory or storage of patterns (Harlizius-Klück 183). However, the development of pattern notation printed and published made recognizable the tacit algebraic thinking that was already involved in operating shafts and heddles in ordinary looms (Harlizius-Klück 179). Weaving notations revealed algebraic ways to organize threads in groups and subgroups, and how to code the pattern using the loom setup, which enabled engineers and inventors to play around with the mechanisms and make attempts at the automated loom (Harlizius-Klück 192). Therefore, the weaving notations already serve as a precursor for technical image processing that could be used as data fed into a control mechanism on the loom (Harlizius-Klück 183). From this we can understand easily what Patricia Hilts stated; “loom-controlled pattern weaving is a distinct branch of design in which art and technology are closely interrelated” (Harlizius-Klück 191). The significance and emphasis lie on the ancient practice of weaving and mathematics for its digital nature rather than the Jacquard loom. This approach allows for the exploration of traditional weaving techniques in non-western areas as well. Heinz Zemanek states that many folkloristic weaving devices – in Europe, but also in Africa and Asia – are implementations of or tools for programmed processes. (Harlizius-Klück 183)
Modam, traditional Korean woolen carpet
From fragments of woolen fabric found in ancient relics of the Gojoseon period (? – 108 BC), we can tell that Korea has a long history of woolen textile practice. The earliest known example of woolen fabric is a face veil that was woven with a mixture of sheep wool and dog hair, dating back to the Gojoseon period. Fragments of woolen fabrics from the 1st to 2nd century have also been discovered in Pyeongyang. Therefore, it is confirmed that ancient Koreans had the technology to spin animal fur and weave woolen fabric. Records show that woolen textiles to spread on the floor such as ‘mosuk’ or ‘moyok’ have been produced from the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BC – 668 AD) to the Joseon period (1392-1910). (Moon 18) ‘Modam’ in various records have different names, however, it is generally made from animal hair and was used not only to spread on the floor but also to hang as canopy. It appears that it was decorated with dyed threads or painted with patterns. Modam was considered a valuable and luxurious item, and it was traded as a commodity with China and Japan from the Three Kingdoms period to the Joseon Dynasty. Furthermore, it is evidenced by archival photographs that modam was also used by the general public in later periods. (Moon 18) It has been confirmed that there exist more than 70 pieces of modam artifacts domestically and abroad. Some of them are housed in the Seoul Craft Museum, Sookmyung Women's University Museum, Onyang Folk Museum, etc. in Korea. Others that transmitted to Japan as ‘Joseonchul’ exist in Kyoto Gion Foundation and private collections. (Moon 19)
Classification of modam by its production method.
The modam artifacts date back to the 16th to 19th centuries and can be classified into three types such as tapestry, plain weave, and felt, according to their weaving style. However, as time progressed, tapestry techniques decreased in popularity, giving way to a greater prevalence of painted patterns. The combination of weaving style and design techniques includes tapestry alone, tapestry + painting + printing, plain weave + painting, and felt + painting. As the weave structure became less complex, the patterns were more likely to be painted onto the fabric. (Moon 19) 66% of these modams are composed of tapestry with patterns created using the painting or printing techniques. Patterns were created using painting or printing techniques on different textile surfaces. The composition of the design typically consists of a central pattern and a border pattern. The central pattern is usually composed of animals such as phoenixes, lions, tigers, and magpies, as well as flowers such as orchids and plum blossoms, butterflies, and Mountain Hydrangea. The border decoration can be classified into two types: geometric patterns such as diamond stripes, color stripes, palindrome, and Swastika that decorate the top and bottom, and animal and plant patterns such as butterflies, flowers, and birds that decorate the edges. (Moon 20) The tapestry weave structure that takes up the highest percentage of Joseon period’s modam is based on plain weave. However, instead of weft thread passing through the entire width of the fabric, it is partially woven according to the pattern. Fabrics woven in this way have the characteristic of small gaps created in the warp direction because the weft is not continuous. This weave structure is called tapestry in north America, and in countries such as Turkey and Iran, it is called Kilim. (Moon 20) Modam artifacts exhibit more simplified weave structure as time went on, which represents the stylistic changes over time. (Moon 21) The tapestry technique is being phased out in favor of simpler plain weaving, and the pattern creation also shifted from being woven to drawn on the surface. This indicates a gradual progression towards a more convenient environment for production. (Moon 23)
Production method
To weave fabric, the three basic processes of raising the warp, passing the weft through, and beating down the weft are essential. The principles of weaving machines can be accomplished by these three basic processes. This can create a plain weave which is the most basic weave. Primitive weaving involved manually raising some of the warp with hands or using tree branches or bone needles. It is assumed that a weaving machine that embodies these basic weaving principles such as the warp-weighted loom would have been used to produce modam. Weights of Warp-weighted looms made of soil dating back to 2000 BC have been found in the Korean peninsula. (Moon 71) Warp-weighted looms are ancient forms of looms used to weave woolen fabrics and were especially used in weaving tapestries that are based on the plain weave technique. Warp-weighted loom uses weights to hold the threads tight and parallel, and we have evidence of this type of loom from ancient pottery. (Broudy 23) The loom uses a rod to separate the threads and weights to keep them taut. The weaver creates a shed, or opening, in the threads by using heddles and rests the heddle rod on supports. The weaver then inserts the weft, or horizontal, threads and uses a sword beater to keep them in place. As the weaving progresses, the woven portion can be rolled up on the top beam, allowing for longer fabrics to be made. Heavier weights were used for tighter weaving, while lighter weights resulted in looser weaving. Weavers could also adjust the tension by attaching more threads to the heavier weights and fewer to the lighter ones. The history of the warp-weighted loom is long, and it has been found in many ancient civilizations, including in Anatolia, Palestine, Crete, and Europe. (Broudy 25) The plain weave structure of modam is also found in Korean traditional baskets and mats. The loom utilized to make those baskets and mats has a basic design that primarily functions to hold and tension the warp, with minimal additional components. (Moon 72) The weaving machine for mats currently produced in the Boseong area of Korea is called "jariteul," which is a vertical form of weaving machine. Jariteul has a similar operating principle to the traditional beopteul, such as having a device on the top of the loom for adjusting the tension of the warp. (Moon 72)
From modam to carpets from the West
The early Joseon period author Seo Geojeong (1420~1488) described the interiors of houses on winter days of Joseon in his book. “Colorful modams are spread on the floor and embroidered curtains are draped around. Charcaol in the furnace blooms red like spring flowers.” (Paintings in Thread MODAM 29) This scene is quite different from the common perception of the living style of a traditional Korean house called Hanok with an ondol heating system. Ondol is traditional Korean underfloor heating system widely supplied by the 17th century. If the interior of a house is heated using ondol, there is little need to spread a thick carpet to spread on the floor. Also, curtains are unnecessary as the air inside the house is kept relatively warm. That is why the interior of a hanok house with an ondol system consists of papered windows and a floor coated with oil paper. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 29) Researchers believe that ondol brought drastic changes to the living culture of Josen, especially in housing and cooking. It is believed to be one of the reasons as to why the production of modam decreased along with many other factors. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 33) No carpets from the early Joseon period have survived, but their images can be found in portraits of figures in official attire from the seventeenth century. Carpets were no longer depicted in portraits after the 17th century and were replaced by figured rush mats from Ganghwa Island, known as hwamunseok. The next known appearance of a carpet in a portrait comes in the depiction of Yi Haeung (1820-1898) from 1880. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 29) There remain a few extant carpets from the late Joseon period. Recent discoveries of pieces of modam from Changdeokgung Palace’s Sungjeongjeon Hall provide clues about the uses and types of modam used in the 20th century royal court. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 37) Additionally, there is evidence that shows the use of modam among the public. In a photo taken by Father Nobert in 1911, modam used in weddings of ordinary people is shown. In the book, “Viewing the Joseon Dynasty through the Eyes” published in 1986, there are also depictions of women drawing pictures sitting on modam. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 37)
Carpets imported from Europe are found in portraits from the early twentieth century. It seems that it began at least in the early 19th century based on the following advertisements. In the June 19th, 1879 issue of Dongnip Sinmun (Independence Newspaper), an advertisement appeared selling imported carpets by a foreigner named F.Kalitzky who lived in Korea at that time. This marked the introduction of Western style carpets to Korea. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 38) In the late 19th to early 20th century, modam was refered to as yungjeon, dantong, mopo, and yangtanja in newspaper articles and advertisements. These articles and advertisements were about domestically produced carpets and in the 1899 issue of Dongnip Sinmun it was encouraged as a national industry. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 37) In the 1920s and 1930s, there was a noticeable increase in advertisements of workshops that taught women how to make, maintain and sell dantong. This suggests that dantong and yungjeon were domestically produced and were modam that ordinary people used. (Paintings in Thread MODAM 37)
Exploring pathways for integrating modam with computing
Based on these aspects of modam, we can draw a few parallels between modam and computing. Firstly, conceptual connections can be made between modam’s tapestry weaving and computation. One example of this is the way in which tapestry weaving can be seen as a form of computation in and of itself. In tapestry weaving, the pattern of the design is essentially an algorithm that dictates which color of thread should be woven and where. It involves arranging individual elements to create a larger whole such as selecting the colors and textures of their yarn, planning out the structure of the tapestry in advance, and most importantly, setting up the loom that will eventually correspond to the pattern generated on the fabric. The relationship between setting up the loom structure instead of defining the pattern directly to create pattern in weaving is what makes weaving similar to computing. Algorithms in computing describe and dictate the series of instructions that must be executed in a specific order to achieve a specific outcome. Setting up the loom and seeing the pattern emerge from abstract set of rules is not unlike graphics programming in computer. Dave Griffiths from Weaving Codes & Coding Weaves project states that set up of a 4-shaft loom can be thought of like 4-bit opcodes with different ordering resulting in indirect pattern shifts. (Griffiths, “Coding With Threads: Frame Loom”)
The main contributors to the production of modam are not entirely known but given the advertising of workshops during the 1920s and 1930s aimed at teaching women how to create, manage and market modam, it can be inferred that women played a role in its manufacture. In many traditional societies, weaving was considered a woman’s craft, passed down from mother to daughters. From preparing and spinning the fibers to designing and creating the finished product, women have been responsible for every aspect of the process. This coincides with the early days of information processing in computation when women were predominantly employed to do calculations. Back in the 1930s and 1940s, people who performed calculations were called "computers," and the majority of this work was carried out by women. (Hayles 1) Anne Balsamo, in her book Technologies of Gendered Body, references this terminology when she begins one of the chapters with the line “My mother was a computer,” which reflects her mother’s actual work as a computer. Balsamo uses this family history to reflect on the gender implications of information technologies. (Hayles 1) It also reflects the historical shift from human to machine labor and raises an array of issues about the relationship between humans and machines such as figure of the (gendered) body as a component of the machine. The (gendered) body as a component of the machine is also reflected in the relationship between weavers and weaving machines, as the weavers interact closely with the weaving looms, treating them as integral components of the weaving process. This is especially exemplified in back strap looms, one of the oldest weaving technologies where one end of the loom is harnessed around the waist of the weaver with a backstrap. Traditional Korean clothing materials for summer such as ramie and hemp fabrics were woven on back strap looms and the technique of weaving ramie fabric produced in Hansan, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and is passed down to this day.
Scientists believe in the idea of a Computational Universe, which suggests that the universe is created through a computational process and that everything within it is a part of a massive computational mechanism. (Hayles 3) Although this idea may seem to disregard the materiality of human creation and the meaning that humans give to things around them, it proposes that the Universal Computer could be seen as the new "Mother Nature," as mentioned in the book "My Mother Was a Computer." (Hayles 3) This suggests that in addition to focusing on the conflict between traditional and computational perspectives, there is also a focus on finding ways to combine and integrate these perspectives in a way that enhances their strengths and creates new insights. The aim is to create a mutually beneficial and collaborative relationship between the two perspectives. (Hayles 4)
Conclusion
In this essay, I explore the correlation between the traditional craft such as weaving and digital computing, and specifically look at aspects of modam production in traditional Korean weaving to gain insights into what it can inform us about computing, especially our relationship to technology. Traditional craftwork is not separated from digital technologies. My experience of working on a weaving loom informed a lot about physical, tangible forms of interaction with technology. Spending hours manually setting up the loom, passing each thread into the heddles made me feel connected to the machine in an unexpected way. The whole body interacting with the loom, throwing the shuttle across the warp, and controlling treadles to see your pattern emerge on the fabric gave me a sense of control that I’m working with the machine, not dependent on it. Weavers can be comparable to early human labor as computers in the realm of information processing, as both were integral components of the mechanized workforce. Making Core Memory project reflects on the invisible work that went into assembling core memory, an early form of computer information storage initially woven by hands of “Little Old Ladies.” (Rosner et al. 1) Through my investigation, I aim to delve into the historical, cultural, and technological intricacies of modam production, in order to explore its implications in relation to digital technology.
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