Welcome to my PAGE28 Exhibition - ALGOCRAFT

Here you’ll find exihibit information corresponding to its assigned number.

[1] Internet of Towels
What if you could hide secret messages in a towel? The Internet of Towels is my exploration into data recognition using fiber arts. In plain view, the towel looks like any other knitted fabric with an unrecognisable pattern. When it is tilted to 45 degrees, it reveals a QR code detectable to any smartphone.
I made the towel by combining two patterning techniques namely lenticular images and QR codes, resulting in an absurdly new kind of computational object.

Try scanning the towel!

Cotton yarn (red, white, black), Crochet hook 4mm. Pattern created in Microsoft Excel and custom QR code extension programmed in CSDT Yarn Arts Library︎︎︎

Tutorial︎︎︎
Research paper︎︎︎

[2] Kolam as Algorithmic Pattern (Printer + Zine)

Kolam is a South-Indian folk art form. These are hand-drawn patterns made on a grid of dots (pulli) and are passed down through generations of Tamil women. In this project, I combined computational (graph algorithms) and human-made (N-line drawing) approaches to drawing Kolams.

You too can draw Kolams using the algorithm I programmed into the little printer. Press the button on the Kolam printer to receive a template and then follow the instructions in the zine laid out next to the printer. It’s like solving a puzzle, enjoy!

Want to try something harder? Click here kolam.day︎︎︎

Programmed in p5.js︎︎︎ and ported to Arduino (C++).
Hardware - Arduino Uno, Thermal printer, and 3D printed casing. Zine by me.

Research paper︎︎︎

[3] Islamic Geometry based Moon-Period Calendar
I made a period and moon phase tracking monthly calendar based on Islamic geometry patterns. This data viz project was born out of anger, post the Roe vs. Wade legislation (June 2022, USA), where people who menstruate were advised to back up, delete, and hide their period data from apps, doctors, and even their partners. I could no longer let this patriarchal control over periods dictate how I visualise and perceive my body’s rhythms. After all, menstrual rhythms are as mundane and beautiful as observing the moon as it cycles through its phases. To drive home this beautiful analogy, I worked with Islamic geometry’s cyclical and geometric elements to speculate on my body's rhythms and the moon’s cycles through making and coding.

In collaboration with Arturo from Solder Party︎︎︎

Printed circuit board, RGB LEDs, Capacitors, RP2040 Stamp Microcontroller with RP2024 Stamp Round Carrier board. Programmed in CircuitPython (Mu)

Tutorial︎︎︎
Magazine article︎︎︎

[4] CyberDeckChair
This device is a solar-powered contraption with two modes - cyberdeck and deckchair. In cyberdeck mode, use the device as a Pomodoro timer to aid your work productivity. When you are tired of working, activate the deckchair mode and recharge under the sun, both you and the device. The project is designed as a practical reminder to take regular breaks. To set the Pomodoro 25 minute timer, press the left button A (left blue buckle strap). The LED grid display indicates the passage of time in 5 minute intervals. To reset the timer, press the right button B (right blue buckle).

Try using the pomodoro timer!

Cotton yarn, Crochet hook 3mm. BBC Micro:Bit, DF Robot Micro Solar Power Manager, 3.7V LiPo 250mAh battery, 1-3V solar panel. Programmed in Microsoft MakeCode

Fun fact: This project was endorsed by Cory Doctorow, the science fiction and cyberpunk author and journalist.

[5] Ferozkoh Jaali in Code + Rhythm
This coding project animates the mathematical drawing construction process of an Islamic architectural motif named ‘Ferozkoh Jaali’︎︎︎ -- a six-fold tiling pattern. The code is synchronized to an Urdu hip-hop soundtrack ‘Rozi’︎︎︎ about female empowerment performed by the Pakistani artist Eva B.

Best experienced with audio soundtrack

Programmed in p5.js ︎︎︎
Islamic Geometry beginner course︎︎︎

[6] Binary Love Story in Hitomezashi
This white crop top tells a romantic story between One and Zero in a binary stitch pattern.

On a dotted canvas, One tiptoed to Zero and said “I want to make patterns with you.” Zero gasped and cried out, “You complete me!”

The story is a 88-character micro-fiction written to fit the grid. The technique I used is called Hitomezashi, a variation of the Japanese Sashiko stitches, which can be translated into ones and zeroes.

Can you decode the pattern?

Upcycled white crop top, screen printed dot grid, neon green embroidery DMC floss (E990).

[7] CryptoCrochet-Key
Make a smart home security system with DIY crocheted keys! The inspiration for this project is a 8 ply yarn called Crypto︎︎︎. Using similar yarn, I crocheted a set of plush keys and then taught a computer to recognize the keys using Machine Learning techniques. The key to successful key encryption (pun intended) is variegated or multicolored yarn. With every stitch, you are encrypting a code that is impossible to duplicate. The project is created to be inclusive and empowering for those of us skilled in other ways than traditional programmers and to demonstrate how our skills contribute to data technologies.

Cotton variegated yarn, Crochet hook 4mm. Machine Learning model created in Teachable Machine︎︎︎and application programmed in p5.js︎︎︎

Tutorial︎︎︎
Research paper︎︎︎
Media coverage︎︎︎

[8] B00B-Factor Authentication in Banjara Embroidery
Can folk embroidery help establish digital consent? Inspired by an tribal craft called Banjara Embroidery︎︎︎, this project involves a bra with NFC tags embroidered around the nipple areas. Two tags, one for each b00b, permit two-factor authentication. The right tag leads to a password-protected website, and the left reveals the password to it. If a person wishes to unlock the website, they need to first establish consent with the bra’s wearer. In getting close to wearer’s body, the b00b-factor authentication bra materialises the discomfort of seeking intimacy and trust with remote others you barely know.

Go ahead, unlock the website by interacting with the bra!

Red cotton bra, Embroidery DMC (yellow, green), NFC tags

Magazine article︎︎︎
Research paper︎︎︎
Media coverage (DE)︎︎︎

I’m Anu! I research, make, craft, code, and sometimes, I hack things.

I’m Anu! I research, make, craft, code, and sometimes, hack things.