Which came first: Patterns in Nature or Shibori?

One of my students recently remarked that I “see shibori everywhere”. It’s true – look at the animals, plants and landscapes that resemble shibori-dyed patterns on fabric. Which inspired which? Clearly there were patterns in nature before humans felt inspired to represent them, but creating unpredictable pattern on cloth by shaped-resist methods frequently reveals to me a relationship with natural phenomena I had never thought about before.

Lionfish
Loon
Sailfish
Zebra
Spider web
Crane fly wing
Palm
Wood grain

 

Chromosomes
Snowflake obsidian
Cloudy sky
Sunlight on water
Snowflake
Iceberg
Dunes