Pattern Makers by Kim Vonder Haar

I've always been fascinated by patterns.

So, this is the beginning of a research project about patterns, and perhaps eventually, a book.

Questions I hope the book will answer:

1. How have patterns evolved throughout human history? Have they evolved alongside cognitive development? When have we seen surges or lulls in patternmaking throughout history?

2. Why do we make patterned objects? Are we attempting to replicate natural structures? To recreate what we see in nature? What is our motivation? What do patterns represent to a person?

3. What are the simplest patterns and why do we make them more complex? Show examples of simple and complex patterns. What about evolutionary or transformational patterns? Morphing patterns?

4. What does a study of patterns tell us about our cognitive and creative processes? What clues does this study give us about how we perceive and think about or process our worlds? Is there a grammar for patterns? A syntax? A structure of rules? Is pattern-making unique to humans? (No...beehives) So, how does pattern-making differ in humans when compared to insects/animals/plants/geological formations?

5. What might a pattern grammar tell us about the creative process? The arts? How is pattern-making different in the arts when compared to the sciences?

6. How is a pattern defined? Is pattern-making gender-biased? How do patterns made by women compare to those made by men?

7. Is there a spiritual component to pattern-making?

Notes:
People like to make things. Pattern-making is an active process of deliberate creation.
Patterns as Context, Environments, Domains, Frameworks. Patterns as the underlying framework for metaphors. Similar pattern domains give rise to a proliferation of multi-modal metaphors in art, science, poetry.