Each piece begins with elevation or depth data from a real place — a mountain, lake, island, coastline, or meaningful landscape. I generate contour templates from the data, then translate each layer into yarn by hand. The result is a physical map: not printed, but slowly built stitch by stitch.
I am drawn to the structural relationship between crochet and contour lines. Crochet can turn a continuous line of yarn into a surface, while contour lines use lines to describe three-dimensional terrain. In crochetopography, these two logics meet: measured landscapes become tactile textile surfaces.
My process combines digital mapping and slow handwork. Using a custom Python workflow, I design each template based on the terrain’s structure, contour interval, scale, and composition. Because every landscape has its own form, every piece is designed individually.
The project is created by Noriko Miyazaki, a Japanese artist based in Sydney, Australia. With a background in engineering, I am interested in the point where data, landscape, and handcraft meet — turning measured terrain into quiet, tactile objects.
Works are available by commission.
Datartefact
by Anne-Laure Fréant
2026