Hadrons and Textiles

Kate Findlay became fascinated with images of CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2008, and has been making quilts inspired by circular cross-sections of the machinery, and more recently, the underlying fundamental partical physics, ever since.

Breakthrough November 2009
Size: 90 cm square. Materials: silks, synthetics and cottons, a metal ring wrapped in gold cord, metallic mesh.

Hadron 2

Hadron 4 2009
Size: 60 cm square.
Materials: Fabric, wire, cords, foam board, on hardboard.
Note: This piece is not a quilt, although much of it is made with fabric.

Hadron 5

Atom - Silver

She's starting to get some attention from the physicists (like this article in CERN's Symmetry Magazine) who seem surprised that hard, metallic machinery who inspire soft textiles. I'd argue there is actually a history of employing quilts are a means of expressing contemporary society - which includes the science it produces. Consider for instance the collection of The Museum of Scientifically Accurate Fabric Brain Art, the Genone quilts of Beverly St. Clair, this EEG quilt or the astronomical quilts of Jimmy McBride (who goes by stellarquilts on Etsy). Nor is not a new phenomenon; consider for instance the Solar System quilt made by Ellen Harding Baker in 1876.

You can find more of Kate Findlay's LHC and particle physics quilts on her website along with other quilts she's made.

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