Ken Shirriff saw an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art titled Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction and saw the the Navajo woven tapestry shown above by Marilou Schultz. The pattern looked strangely familiar to him, and he realized it was the image of Intel's Pentium chip. The incongruity of the traditional art of Navajo weaving and a Pentium chip spurred Shirriff to look up the artist. Schultz tells us a bit about the intricate process of Navajo weaving, which can take all day to progress one inch in a masterpiece. Schultz is both a Navajo weaver and a math teacher, so she completely understood the assignment when Intel commissioned the work as a gift to the American Indian Science & Engineering Society.
However, the relationship between the art and the industry led Shirriff to learn about the rise of integrated circuit and semiconductor processing in New Mexico in the 20th century. Tech manufacturers recognized the value of the fine motor skills honed by Navajo weavers, mostly women, and the Navajo recognized the value of job creation in New Mexico. The relationship between the various companies and their workers did not always work to the benefit of both, as you will learn in Shirriff's research that began with Shultz's artwork. It's a fascinating read, even if you have to skim over the most technical parts. -via Metafilter