FREE Mario Ballocco Weaving Pattern from Deborah Jean Cohen

I'm delighted to offer this Maria Ballocco weaving pattern for FREE. Adapted and woven by Deborah Jean Cohen, Dissociazione quadrangolare is a stunning pattern from the Italian abstract fiber artist.

Download the free Mario Ballocco weaving pattern HERE.

Mario Ballocco, Dissociazione quadrangolare, 1970s

This work belongs to the mature period of Italian artist Mario Ballocco (1913–2008), a leading figure in post-war concrete and perceptual abstraction. Ballocco devoted his career to exploring the science of color and visual perception, which he called cromatologia.

In Dissociazione quadrangolare (“Quadrangular Dissociation”), he examines how a simple geometric form—the square—can be broken apart and re-imagined through shifts in structure, color, and perception. The title suggests both fragmentation and transformation: the square is “dissociated,” creating dynamic tensions between order and disruption.

Typical of Ballocco’s 1970s work, the piece likely features rigorous geometry, precise chromatic contrasts, and subtle optical effects—where colors seem to change depending on their surroundings (“chromatic assimilation”). The result is not a static composition but a visual experiment that invites the viewer to see seeing itself: how color, structure, and space interact in the eye and mind.

In essence, Dissociazione quadrangolare is a quiet, disciplined meditation on the boundaries between stability and flux—geometry and perception—reflecting Ballocco’s lifelong search for harmony through the language of pure form and color.

The pattern is designed to be made on a 7 x 7 inch small loom, which you can buy here.  Speciality loops to create the pattern can be purchased here.