Tigerbob Charm Packs is an interactive art work by Gossamer Rozen. The second javascript artwork in a series expanding the world of Tigerbob, Charm Packs deconstructs & reassembles Gossamer's iconic pixel art in 10 x 10 repeating pixel tiles arranged on a larger grid like a tapestry. This reorganizes the visual language from representational to abstract, a direct reference to Gossamer's knitting practice which involves repeating jacquard designs broken by patchwork & mending.
The pixel art is formatted for Javascript by translating the work into arrays on spreadsheets, a process similar to Gossamer's knitwear programming practice.
The token hash is used to determine the Charm Pack (tile set) and Theme (colorway) of the token. The tiles are placed on a grid according to Perlin noise and handwritten rules. Animation is placed on selected tiles according to another layer of Perlin noise. Thresholds in the script control the density of pixel tiles and the amount of tiles that are animated. This allows for outputs varying from clean, uniform designs to busy, dense graphics.
"Charm Pack" refers to 5" x 5" squares of cut fabric for quilting purposes, usually cut from the same length of fabric, for use in patchwork quilts. Quilters traditionally mix and match sets of charm packs to create their own custom quilt.
This artwork is responsive. Click or drag your mouse, or tap or drag your finger to animate your path across the screen. Press "S" on desktop to save a high-resolution still image of the artwork at that exact frame of animation - try it while drawing on the screen to see the result!
Charm packs began with a digital sketch produced in Adobe Photoshop. I spent a few weeks knitting this sketch in the intarsia method. This process allowed me to understand the algorithm of mark making and design.
Unlike my mylar and computer input knit tapestries and the knitwear produced by the factory, the intarsia method of knitting is entirely hand-powered and hand-directed. This technique allows me to knit a complex design with an unlimited amount of colors by using separate balls of yarn for each color.
My brain becomes the computer, with the interface - instructions - highlighting the current row of yarns to be selected and placed over the knitting needles. Yarns are twisted around each other as reach row is passed, creating a solid, flexible fabric. As colors change, balls of yarn are cut and dropped or added and later woven in. I feel a similarity to tapestry weaving methods. The path of each yarn color carried and dropped becomes the architecture of the mark-making.
The result of the knitting provided me insight to construct the script for the digital version of Charm Packs. A series of pre-made and custom made-to-order tapestries will be available for consideration after the mint begins.
Gossamer Rozen is a process-driven artist exploring their visual language across a range of artistic mediums, producing a variety of art objects and art products like framed tapestries, knitted apparel, plush toys, card games, stickers, prints, and more. The work produced is unified and presented under the Tigerbob, a brand designed to uplift the work of the artist rather than extract from it.
The slow process of hand sewing, hand carving, tattooing, typing, and machine knitting is meticulous and repetitive, a type of meditation that is integral if not more important than the finished work. Gossamer is particular about history and material, exploring their heritage and identity in their work.
Gossamer Rozen (a.k.a grelysian) is a transgender, nonbinary, femme, African American & Filipino fine artist and tattooer in New York City. Gossamer has worked with and collaborated with brands such as The Boston Globe, Patagonia, Squarespace and Dr Martens, and has been creating work professionally since 2008.