Across Africa, a new wave of digital art is exploring the rich intersection of ancestral patterns, textiles, and contemporary technology. From interactive installations to algorithmically generated designs inspired by traditional weaving, artists are reimagining centuries-old craft through a digital lens. This is a space where heritage and innovation meet, where the mathematical logic of weaving transforms into interactive, immersive experiences.
One standout example is Nosukaay, which demonstrates how weaving—a deeply mathematical craft—can be reinterpreted through digital media, blending cultural heritage with cutting-edge technology.
Artists and Projects Blending Weaving and Digital Practice
About the Artist: Diane Cescutti is a transmedia artist who explores the intersection of traditional craft and contemporary digital practice. In her project Nosukaay, she reimagines a West African loom as an interactive digital installation, seamlessly merging the centuries-old structure of a Manjak loom with modern computational technology.
The Work: Nosukaay transforms weaving into an immersive, narrative experience. Visitors don’t just observe the textile—they interact with it. Patterns on the cloth respond to touch and motion, creating a dynamic interplay between human gesture and algorithmic design. The project turns the loom itself into a storytelling device, where each thread becomes a conduit for both cultural memory and digital experimentation.
Recognition: The innovative synthesis of textile tradition and digital processing earned Nosukaay acclaim at Prix Ars Electronica, one of the most prestigious platforms for digital art worldwide.
Why It Matters: Cescutti’s work exemplifies how traditional craft can inform contemporary technology-driven art. By bridging algorithmic thinking with the tactile, mathematical logic of weaving, Nosukaay demonstrates that textiles are not merely objects of aesthetic or cultural value—they are active participants in digital storytelling, capable of connecting heritage with the possibilities of the future.
“Remember the texture under your fingers. You’ve touched it before. In fact, I’m everywhere. Thread, fiber optic, frame, binary code, algorithm, computer.computer”
About the Project: Woven in Wa is a digital living archive documenting the vibrant textile traditions of Wa, in northern Ghana. The platform preserves historical patterns while creating space for collaboration between local artisans and contemporary designers.
The Work: By translating handwoven textiles into digital form, the project allows users to explore traditional designs in new ways. It also provides a bridge between craft communities and digital platforms, fostering innovation while honoring heritage.
Why It Matters: Woven in Wa demonstrates how technology can preserve and recontextualize African textile traditions. It shows that digital tools are not merely for reproduction—they can amplify cultural knowledge and create dialogues between past and present.
Bubu Ogisi – I.AM.ISIGO (Nigeria / Pan-African)
About the Artist: Nigerian fiber artist, curator, and multidisciplinary designer Bubu Ogisi merges ancestral textile knowledge with digital innovation. Her practice spans wearable art, installations, and digital platforms.
The Work: Ogisi’s I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System archives endangered African weaving techniques while offering an interactive digital interface for exploration and storytelling. Her installations employ fiber, organic materials, and conceptual frameworks rooted in indigenous weaving knowledge.
Why It Matters: Ogisi expands the possibilities of weaving into digital narratives. Her work bridges craft, technology, and cultural heritage, demonstrating how traditional art forms can evolve within a contemporary, tech-driven landscape.
Bubu Ogisi – I.AM.ISIGO (Nigeria / Pan-African)
About the Artist: Nigerian fiber artist, curator, and multidisciplinary designer Bubu Ogisi merges ancestral textile knowledge with digital innovation. Her practice spans wearable art, installations, and digital platforms.
The Work: Ogisi’s I.AM.ISIGO Digital Mystery System archives endangered African weaving techniques while offering an interactive digital interface for exploration and storytelling. Her installations employ fiber, organic materials, and conceptual frameworks rooted in indigenous weaving knowledge.
Why It Matters: Ogisi expands the possibilities of weaving into digital narratives. Her work bridges craft, technology, and cultural heritage, demonstrating how traditional art forms can evolve within a contemporary, tech-driven landscape.
Lesiba Mabitsela, Meghna Singh & Simon Wood – The Power Loom & The Founders Pillars (South Africa / International)
About the Artists: This collaborative team of artists, designers, and filmmakers explores African textiles through augmented reality (AR) and multimedia storytelling.
The Work: The Power Loom is a multimedia installation that digitally animates African textile patterns through projection and sound. As part of The Founders Pillars, an AR project, the team overlays textiles in public spaces, creating generative, interactive experiences that connect history with contemporary audiences.
Why It Matters: By combining AR, digital projection, and textile forms, the team highlights themes of memory, identity, and postcolonial histories. Their work illustrates how African textiles can be reimagined as living, digital narratives that engage audiences in both space and time.
Emerging Practices: Digital Jacquard Weaving
Across craft-tech communities, digital Jacquard weaving is opening new possibilities for designers. Algorithmically generated patterns can now be translated directly to looms, creating textiles that are simultaneously traditional and computational. While African practitioners in this space are still emerging, this approach signals exciting potential for the continent’s rich weaving traditions to intersect with digital technology.
From interactive installations to digital archives, African artists are redefining the role of textiles in contemporary creativity. Weaving is no longer confined to fabric and loom—it has become a medium for storytelling, algorithmic exploration, and cultural preservation. By embracing digital technologies while honoring ancestral craft, these artists are weaving the future—one thread, one pattern, and one story at a time.
