Final Project: Textile Pattern Machine

For my final project, I want to create a physically interactive pattern machine that uses Arduino controls to generate and transform digital patterns in p5. Instead of drawing directly on the screen, the user would control the structure of the pattern through physical input. I want the project to feel more like an artwork than a tool, where the physical controls shape a visual composition in real time. Right now, I am thinking of using potentiometers and buttons so the user can change things like the density of the pattern, the size of the shapes, the color palette, or the type of pattern being generated.

The Arduino side of the project would be responsible for reading the physical input, and the p5 side would process that input and turn it into the visual response on screen. For example, buttons could be used to switch between different pattern types or different color modes. For this project, I took inspiration from patterns I see in rugs, embroidery, traditional clothes, and decorative geometric designs. I am especially interested in the way these patterns use repetition, symmetry, borders, and structured color palettes to create a full composition. Because of that, I want to make something that feels artistic while still having a clear interaction system.

For the visual direction, I want the patterns to feel more designed than random. I am interested in geometric repetition, floral motifs, textile-like patterning, and decorative compositions that change in response to the user. I do not want it to just feel like shapes moving around on a screen. I want it to feel like the user is shaping a system that produces a full visual composition. Some of the references I collected have a central medallion structure, some are more grid-based and repeated like tiles, and others are softer and more floral. I am still deciding exactly how the final look will come together, but I know I want the visuals to feel cohesive, decorative, and intentional.

For inspiration, I am looking at rug patterns, embroidery, geometric ornament, floral textile designs, and repeated decorative motifs. What I am most drawn to in these references is the use of repetition, symmetry, borders, and controlled color palettes. I also want to look at p5 pattern and symmetry examples, repeated shape systems, and tutorials related to mapping Arduino input into visual parameters in p5. For the Arduino side, I will likely look back at the potentiometer and button examples, and for p5 I want to look at examples that use repetition, grid systems, tiling, and color palette switching.

Images:

This is an AI generated image that gives a more concrete example of my project:

References:

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