A recent
Slate.com article about khipus, the Incan method of recording information using knotted cords, has me thinking about the relationship between handicraft and language. My current work-in-process involves a series of one-page books of quilt-block patterns made from tarnished copper, so I've already been contemplating abstract methods of communicating via materials and patterns, but haven't really been sure about how to direct a larger body of work. This sort of material-based, non-alphabetic code might be just the connection. Interestingly, it also ties in to a new-found fascination with Chladni patterns and how they might be converted to musical scores (thanks to
another Slate.com article). Several new pieces are now rolling around in my mind.
Gotta love sparks of inspiration.
