“There are ambiguities around the term ‘pattern’, which mean that in common usage it can be extended to include all manner of decorative effects, including textures and variegations as well as repeating designs – a vagueness that is itself indicative of the lower status that pattern is accorded in our present visual culture…….the post-Renaissance prejudice against pattern has meant that it has rarely been taught systematically in Art or Design schools. Perhaps, in the light of a revival of interest in the use of ornament generally, this should be reconsidered? If better understood, the limitations of this genre could, after all, be viewed as offering new design possibilities.”

David Wade is a Sculptor, Graphic Artist, Photographer and Author of numerous books on geometry and pattern, including ‘Pattern in Islamic Art’, ‘Geometric Patterns and Borders’ and ‘Crystal & Dragon: The Cosmic Dance of Symmetry and Chaos in Nature, Art and Consciousness’.