Gallery: Watch: This Guy Makes Textile Patterns by Hacking Cameras to Death
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Computation and textiles have a long and fruitful history—the punch card programmable Jacquard loom helped kick off the Industrial Revolution. Today, CNC looms paired eclectic programming techniques could produce equally profound results. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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On a computer screen, these glitches would inspire frustration. Hung on a wall they provoke contemplation. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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What started as a side project hacking digital cameras has turned into a thriving textiles business. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Stearns uses million-dollar machines to immortalize productivity-killing errors. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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The textiles Stearns produces have a stunning resemblance to weavings made by indigenous people, revealing an underlying aesthetic sense. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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The project was an outgrowth of a popular Tumblr called *Year of the Glitch*. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Stearns compares the process of generating these images to spelunking, or exploring caves. You can prepare for the general idea of a cave, but must be flexible enough to adapt to whatever you discover. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Stearns originally manufactured his wares using websites that transform family photos into throw rugs. After a wildly successful Kickstarter he was able to move production to a professional textile factory. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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If the project becomes a commercial hit, Stearns would love to hack the multimillion-dollar machines that produce his spastic shawls. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Initially, the glitch textiles were "happy accidents," but over time, Stearns figured out how to exert a level of control over the output. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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For his next project, Stearns is going to add biohacking to his bag of tricks and produce textiles based on the common cold. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Glitch Textiles start at $150. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Growing up in a dusty Texas town with unreliable computer equipment gave Stearns an early appreciation for unexpected aesthetics. Stearns has the eye of an artist, but studied theoretical physics and music in college. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Stearns notes that the word "raster" means "rake" in Latin and sees connections between early agriculture and weaving. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Some of the emergent designs resemble familiar patterns like this tech-infused tartan. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
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Distorted algorithms produce delightful color blends. *Photo: Phillip Stearns*
