The loom is an interface with which is possible to create patterns with a process similar to that of an actual loom.
After analyzing the operation of a traditional loom, as well as that of a jaquarq loom, three important steps were found. First of all the thread’s visibility is set up, [1], i.e. which threads remain on the upper side and which on the lower one. After this, the color [2] is interwoven by the shuttle. And finally the weft is pushed by the beater to fix it [3].
![Explanation of the loom mechanism This pictures shows the way in which a real Loom works](http://juan-carlos.info/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/02/L02-565x600.jpg)
In the design of the electronic loom the normal process of production was kept. The fabric is produced line by line and there are three main steps to generate a line. First it will be chosen which points of the line are going to be on or off [1], mimicking the positioning of the weft’s threads that an actual loom makes. After this, it is possible to choose a color for all the points of the line [2]. In the final step the line will be fixed [3], that is to say, the line will be sent to the facade.
![Elements of the line This picture shows the elements necessary to create a line](http://juan-carlos.info/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/02/L06-600x325.jpg)
In the abstraction of the process the line is created as the following diagram shows. It basically the result of the combination of points and colors.
![Pattern + Color = Line This picture shows how the mix of a pattern and a color creates a line.](http://juan-carlos.info/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/02/L08-600x267.jpg)
Just as in an original Loom the lines are pushed behind each other, creating a pattern. The process of interweaving, is both aesthetic as social, because lines created by different persons are placed together.
![Addition of lines This picture shows how the lines are added to create a complex pattern.](http://juan-carlos.info/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2012/02/L12-600x533.jpg)