Beyond Punch Cards

The group exhibition Beyond Punch Cards was inspired by a woman who changed the world. Mathematician Ada Lovelace studied the complex engineering behind the Jacquard loom to invent the first computational algorithm in 1840. “The analytical engine will weave algebraic patterns like Jacquard looms weave flowers and leaves,” Lovelace said. Since that pivotal moment, artists, designers and technologists from across the globe have explored the links between weaving and coding. In Beyond Punch Cards, an official satellite show of the CURRENTS New Media Festival 2019, independent curators Francesca Rodriguez Sawaya and Renata de Carvalho Gaui unite an international group of artists who straddle the line between these intersecting disciplines.