Harmonograph.io is a randomized generator of two-pendulum harmonograph drawings by Austin Kennedy (@paperscenery.) This web app is adapted from harmonograph.js by Thomas ten Cate and also informed by the excellent work of Karl Sims and DrawingMachines.org. This app is free for anyone to use and includes a PNG exporter to save drawings. Please tag @harmonograph.io when sharing.
This project was a tangent to long-running personal research on visualizations of mathematical phenomena, especially as they relate to aesthetics. I first came across harmonograph drawings in the pages of a 1970 Photo-Lettering specimen book, where they were being sold as “cosmographs,” a name that no longer seems to be connected with harmonographs. The catalog mentioned “physicist in sound” Edward Lias, and a web search lead me to an obituary and a patent that referred to the harmonograph. Thanks books and internet, in that order.
For best viewing on iPhones, hit the share menu option to add the app to your home screen. If you are interested in supporting the development of a standalone app, please drop me a line.