Kolams (or Muggulu ముగ్గు) are intricate drawings created using rice flour, typically made by women in South India each morning at the thresholds of their homes. These designs often begin with a matrix of dots, around which looping lines form mathematically complex patterns. In this workshop, artist Aarati Akkapeddi will discuss the history of kolams, and their cultural significance in terms of mathematics, artistry and gender roles. Akkapeddi will also share the system they've developed for translating text into kolam patterns. Participants will learn how text can be transformed into patterns through simple rules.