Printmaking

Decode Kolams (2025)

Made in p5.js by Aarati Akkapeddi

Aarati Akkapeddi, Decode Kolams
Close-up view of Decode Kolams, screen-printed pattern generated in p5.js.

Kolams are beautiful patterns that women in South India have drawn for hundreds of years.

Kolams are traditionally made by women and created before sunrise. They comprise mathematically complex patterns that feature continuous intertwined lines.

- Aarati Akkapeddi

In this project, the artist used code to turn text into binary (1s and 0s), then turned that into a design on a grid. The result honors an old tradition using a new tool and helps us consider how cultural heritage can be preserved or extended by technology.

Aarati Akkapeddi, Decode Kolams
Decode Kolams diagram, showing the correlation between visual pattern and binary code.

Aarati Akkapeddi, Decode Kolams
Installation view at the Rituals of Recursion exhibition, Spill 180, NY.

Let’s Discuss

  • How is text turned into a pattern?
  • How can code help keep traditions like Kolams alive?
  • Can you think of other traditional patterns that could be represented by code?

Tip: You are invited to encode text into a kolam pattern using Akkapeddi’s software, kolam.codes.