Visualising Rhythm

Exploring the relationship between music and art, this research uses an analogical, experimental systems approach to examine rhythmic sequences as crochet forms. A system of deductive reasoning is outlined, with each loop in a crochet chain equated to one hit, or one count, in a rhythmic sequence. This approach illustrates how logic-driven number sequences may result in geometric patterns and 3D forms. Number sequences are the basis of rhythmic patterns and are foundational to music theory. The artist’s background as a drummer therefore aids reflections on how these sequences inform an understanding of contemporary, practice-based research. In a contemporary context, this crochet research is inspired by the work of Daina Taimina and The Institute for Figuring. The approach to site specific installation is informed by form finding methodology, as described by Frei Otto and the Institute for Light-Weight Structures. Overall, this research contributes to the evolving field of interdisciplinary crochet and outsider science, framed against a context of feminist art history. Approaches to the design and construction of complex crochet forms are illustrated, with specific reference to concepts of drumming which underpin the practice. This research further establishes the medium of crochet as a method for translating interdisciplinary concepts.