Eoin, Self-Portrait

Method & Medium

Using a custom developed computer program, a pattern is generated which describes how four strands of exceptionally fine, high quality thread are to be wound between 500 pins. The four unbroken threads, in the colours Red, Green, Blue, and Black over a solid White canvas, appear to bounce from pin to pin like rays of light. This inspired the name raythreading as a nod to raytracing, another form of computer art.

The path followed by each thread is finely optimised to draw the colour and shadows of the final image. However equally important is the absence of thread from parts of the image where the white canvas shows through, creating the highlights in the image. To find the perfect compromise a computer algorithm explores millions of possibilities in the search for the most faithful and accurate reproduction of the source image.

The final work of art is entirely handmade, with the pattern of 6000 steps followed exactly, using a total 3.88km of thread.