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Woven art forms may not be the favorite form that art goers and auctioneers would be enthusiastic about. Of course, if we take the position of art for art sake’s philosophy we could say that some woven art forms such as rugs and carpets lose much of their artiness because they provide more function than other forms. Aesthetics and function cannot coincide together well. One of the two may have to be sacrificed to achieve any significance on both endeavors. Still, the patterns and forms on any area rug or carpet, be it an expensive piece or one of cheap rugs, they contain the culture and philosophy of the location and age where it was woven. That is why these two forms of the woven art cannot be discounted and discarded as easily as would a tissue paper.

For example, we can now have contemporary art seep into the woven fabric through the artist’s hand, creating designs that would have only been created in this day and age. On the other hand, the unique style of oriental patterns gives a sense of exoticism along with adornment.

While the design is aye-catching to some artists, and while the aesthetic value is only second to its historic value to historians, mathematicians have actually even taken interests in the intricate geometric patterns. It seems that symmetry is a more natural thing for humans after all, as most of us can discern what is beautiful by associating it with some measure of symmetry (and to some extent, asymmetry as well). For example, the weavings in places in the Philippines, in its Cordillera Regions from the Indigenous People living there, have been studied and made to resemble mathematical structures and algebraic groups. In fact, many geometric patterns from a variety of culture can be described by mathematical analysis. In just goes to show that maybe Mathematics, Art and the practical world of weave is a natural blend.

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