Cellular automata quilt
Reinforming traditional Fabric Patterns

An exploration into reinforming traditional patterns using a modern design approach. The patchwork quilt is an established co–creative modular system that has a strongly recognisable pattern based visual language. I aimed to reinform these patterns to make them more unique to the owner.

The user draws the layout of their garden using a pixel grid. This layout rearranges itself according to basic mathematical rules of population survival that have been roughly adapted to represent plant life.

The outcome is a macro plant pattern. The more symmetrical the original garden layout, the more symmetrical the final outcome. In this sense the pattern leaves recognisable elements of the owners garden, while also creating a new pattern which is unique to that user.

Due to the complexity of the software development required, the multiple user functionality remains a work in progress. However, at present an individual user can create a repeating quilt pattern.

This is a hack of an existing Cellular Automata program by Justin Windle.