John Brooks
Automated thoughts from imprinted fragments, chewed up by time

Statement

The history of textiles has been fragmented – imprints of woven structures recorded as clay imprints and diagrams of weaving equipment inscribed on earthenware are the oldest surviving records, while textile fragments and loom wood disintegrate over time. Ceramic pots may have originated as woven baskets reinforced with clay to create vessels for carrying water, and as weaving processes became more complex, clay weights were used to hold threads under tension. This serves as an early example of weaving interacting with other disciplines. In 1804, the jacquard loom was invented. Operated with binary punch cards, this allowed for more complexity in the pattern and structure of woven fabrics. This loom was the ancestor to the computer, and therefore the smartphone. While these fragments are compelling, it’s the historical gaps that leave room for speculation and exploration – differing theories acting as portals to alternate realities.

The automation of weaving was a key component of the industrial revolution, and lead to the loss of work for weavers, forming the luddite movement. This also began the process of separating thinking from making in the Western art canon. While historically, the process of weaving created tangents in other disciplines, these developments devalued the perception of a complex and inventive discipline. Industrialisation’s separation of thinking from making is widely seen as an anachronism, however now that AI has automated thinking, this sparks questions around the differences between thinking and making and the biases that inform the perception of value between different modes of making. When automation separates making from thinking, what happens when we automate thinking?

Artist Bio

John Brooks is a Naarm-based artist of Irish and English descent. With a foundation in weaving, he trained extensively in materials and textile structures before expanding his practice to encompass sculpture, video, and installation. Recently, he has begun exploring ceramics, delving into the intertwined and interdependent histories of pottery and weaving.

Working primarily with soft materials, he incorporates symbolism, slow craft, and digital processes to reflect on the influence of objects and materials on human experiences and the anthropomorphic qualities often projected onto non-human entities.