2024 Joint Mathematics Meetings

Agniv Sarkar, Anish Sarkar

Artists

Agniv Sarkar

Student

Proof School

Palo Alto, California, USA

agnivsarkar@proofschool.org

Anish Sarkar

Student

Proof School

Palo Alto, California, USA

anishsarkar@proofschool.org

Statement

When we first heard of topology, we fell in love with the idea that local changes maintained global properties. We express this idea using Kirigami, with designs inspired by Masahiro Chatani’s Sliceform and Guy Petzall’s Ullagami. We became fascinated with the endless possibilities of the topology of the paper, such as Origami as a way to create beautiful pieces of art. By extending this beauty by interrupting the surface of the paper with meticulous cuts, we’ve created pieces that can lay flat but present their complexity due to deformations. They showcase the idea that even small, local alterations on the surface of the paper can result in intricate, multifaceted designs, mirroring the elegance of varied topological spaces.

Artworks

Image for entry 'Kirigami Collection'

Kirigami Collection

31.0 x 17.5 x 4.5 cm

Cardstock, Chipboard, String

2023

(Top) Front of a display of chosen kirigami pieces folded from cardstock. The pieces on the left create curvature, leading into the spirals in the center, and ending on the multi-piece designs on the end. (Bottom) Back of display of chosen kirigami. The pieces on the left experiment with diagonal cuts, moving cleanly to the spirals in the middle and ending on the mosaic of folds at the end. Each piece was made with precise cuts assisted by a Silhouette Cameo and hours worth of folding. When the large piece is folded into itself, it collapses into a small stack, but when it is expanded out, each piece of paper unfolds into a beautiful display of edges until it is made flat, in which each paper returns to its original, flat form.