The Age Of Spiral Design: How AI is Reimagining The Historic Symbol?

The spiral is everywhere. From sunflowers, DNA double helix, hurricanes, Dean's Staircase at St Paul's Cathedral, to the Milky Way, this pattern is repeated in organic and inorganic forms. Throughout human history, the symbol of the spiral has been reflected in art, design, and architecture as both a sacred and secular symbol. Swedish artist, Hilma af Klint used spirals in her work as an abstract representation of life’s journey. Frank Lloyd Wright designed The Guggenheim Museum, with a spiral ramp toward a domed skylight to represent movement through space.

From a spiritual perspective, the symbol has become a metaphor for growth, death, and reincarnation. It can represent magic and mysticism, based on the notion that steady flow exists within everything. From a scientific perspective, spirals are omnipresent, enduring, and remarkable as they are the shape of most galaxies, making them one of life’s biggest mysteries.

With spiral taking form in all avenues of human life, it is exciting to see the form being replicated in AI design. In September 2023, Reddit user Ugleh posted an image of a medieval spiral-shaped village, designed using AI technology Stable Diffusion and ControlNet. To date, Ugleh's design has over 9.2 million views since being posted on X and it has become a popular design concept, with many designers such as Beeple and Jack Butcher producing their own versions of geometric designs. Critics have been referencing this as an “AI spiral trend,” which seems quite reductive due to a wider movement of spirals lovers apparent through the emergence of spiral Instagram accounts and many AI designers incorporating this symbol naturally into their designs before Ugleh’s work entered the mainstream.

@endless__spiral has 100K followers on their Instagram since starting the page in 2020. The account told RED-EYE spirals mean, “returning to the same place but always different.” Their Instagram page echoes how spirals are displayed in different forms from natural forms of nature, AI content, to prehistoric architecture. When placed all together on an account, it is beautiful to see how different cultures embrace the spiral across different mediums. Endless Spiral shared that “We have so many favourites but when we discovered this spiral by @suspiciousobject recently, we fell in love with it.”

What differentiates the use of spirals historically from the use of spirals today, is the rise of technology. The spiral was once a symbol for isolated communities, whereas, now with the internet and communities from spiral accounts on social media, people can connect with the spiral symbol globally. Spirals are the awareness that everything is in flux and moving towards something new, which naturally lends itself to thinking about the future of the world and the planet.

With 2023 being the warmest year since global warming records it is clear that the future of the planet is terrifying. RED-EYE asked Endless Spiral if they thought the spiral had become a symbol of yearning for order and balance as a reaction to climate change. “I am not sure if it’s about a yearning for order and balance, to me I think climate change makes us want to connect with each other- the repetition of the image across so many places and objects creates this feeling- and makes us want to come to terms with change- the spiral is a symbol that is all about change, and I think it can be quite soothing for people to use this symbol to cultivate greater acceptance.”

Ariel Rosso creates dreamy AI imagery, often using spirals in the design process. Rosso’s work blends organic forms with inorganic colours such as bright pinks, which reimagine the spiral form in a completely new context. It is very exciting to see the traditional spiral form in Rosso’s designs which take on a new approach that looks so energised and fresh.

Rosso told Red-Eye “I'm drawn to spirals for both their symbolism and their form. I'm fascinated by the diverse meanings and cultural associations that spirals hold across different times and places. So much power for one little shape, one that conveys so much symbolically, and also intuitively and emotionally, even for those who may not consciously connect with its various meanings. I love the rhythm and energy inherent in spirals, and particularly their associations with themes such as harmony, balance, chaos, growth, life, evolution, protection, feminine and cosmic energies, its ties to nature and sacred geometry, the notion of constant motion and change, infinity, connection, creation, and healing…and so much more.”

Spirals have been used as a powerful symbol throughout human history. Not only is the spiral design here to stay, but it is excitingly being re-contextualized through the lens of AI. The community of spiral lovers and designers who use the theme in their work reflects the continued interest in the mysterious shape and how it has become a meaningful abstract representation for humans across time.

Article by @weir.amber

Image courtesy of @ephemeralariel & @suspiciousobject

RED•EYE WORLD