Braids/burdens

Braids serve humanity on multiple levels. We use braids by combining weaker strands of rope in order to make them strong and take more load than they would've been able to do on their own. Braids work as a social glue, tying friends, family and small communities together by braiding each other's hair and bonding over that ritual. Braids have been used in many cultures, sometimes as identifier of which group you belonged to or as a status symbol.

For me braids have a more conflicting meaning. I like braids for their multiple functions but I also see braids as a representation of society.
The beautiful, seemingly simple structures that keep eluding me. They represent the knots and tangles of societal expectations, anxiety and stereotypes.
This work is designed to be reflective, with the braids representing the complexities of navigating social structures as a neurodivergent individual.
The outputs contain varying levels of structure and chaos, representing the often unnoticed struggles that I and many others experience in our daily lives.

The underlying pattern for every piece is the same braiding algorithm, but the location, direction and shapes that form the strands create a multitude of different patterns. You can however always find a resemblance of the pattern that lies at the core of it.

Working on this project has helped me grow on multiple levels but has also confronted me with some of my shortcomings.
In order to create this work I had to cut out features and results that were not contributing to the whole. Erasing the nonconforming elements, the outcasts, was a jarring irony. Needing me to do exactly the opposite of what this work represents.

I hope you enjoy this piece and that it causes you to reflect on the fact that not all is as it seems.

This project is written in vanilla javascript.
Press 's' to download a png image at the current canvas size.