Decode the kolam by clicking and dragging over each box to reveal a 1 or 0. The center is always blank. As you fill the matrix, the translation will update. You must complete the matrix, to reveal the full message.
I developed a program that translates text into Kolam designs using binary code. Kolam (or Muggu) is a South Indian tradition where women draw intricate rice flour patterns on the floor each morning. Through this translation, I trace connections between kolams, gender, and computation, honoring computational lineage outside Western patriarchal frameworks. I created this system in 2022 as a matrilineal mourning ritual, translating three names into kolams: Swarajyalaxmi (my late grandmother), Kameswaramma (her mother), and Rajyalaxmi (her grandmother). At transmediale, I expand this into a participatory installation, drawing kolams with rice flour and turmeric containing encrypted messages visitors can decode here, where they can also encode their own kolams. You can read more here.