This week, we had a workshop with Laura Devendorf, the Director of Unstable Design Lab at the Atlas Institute using the AdaCAD Mixer software that she developed. Though I had played with the software a little bit in the time leading up to the workshop, it was a real treat to have the actual developer there via Zoom, showing us around and what it was capable of.
It was pretty enjoyable, and reminiscent of the Grasshopper weaving we did the week prior. Though, I found the AdaCAD software much more fun and easy to use overall. The interface has some quirks (which is totally understandable given it is a one person dev team!), and the controls took a little getting used to, as happens with any new program. It was even fun to just see what others were coming up with, or to try to upload a bitmap image just to see what would happen.
I actually found myself just playing with the software in my free time, without any outcome or goal in mind. As a “graphic designer,” I found it a nice change of pace to work in more of a binary way. Plus, the changes were easy to say in most cases, which is kind of refreshing when a lot of my work sometimes relies on micro changes that are unnoticeable to most people.
We also got to look at the TC 2 Loom, which was a fascinating piece of machinery. I suppose I was expecting some large, complex looking machine that took up an entire room and that was hard to make heads or tails of. But, it turns out, it pretty much just…looks like a big box and also a loom. I didn’t realize that it still required the user to use a shuttle for the weft. Here we have this (what I consider to be) complex machine that produces lovely, beautifully complex weavings, but still contains a human element. Though I don’t know that I could visibly tell the difference between something purely woven by hand via the clicks of a mouse, the notion of the hand passing the shuttle through the shed certainly feels more endearing and somewhat romantic in this increasingly digital age.
Matt's Creative Process Journal 
I really agree with your sentiment of it being nice to work in the binary rather than with such detailed work! Having only two options, heddle up or down, really simplifies design choices, especially when the program can make some of the choices for you.
I’m also glad you pointed out the TC-2 has a hand-shuttle element, as I had actually missed that in our tour and now everything makes a lot more sense! I do love the idea that the machine still does not have full control over the weavings it produces, there is still a human element beyond the design phase.
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