2012 Bridges Conference

Susan Happersett

Artists

Susan Happersett

Artist

Beacon, New York, USA

fibonaccisusan@icloud.com

https://happersett.net

Statement

My fascination with mathematics and my love of visual arts has led me on a journey to build a link between mathematics and drawing. It has become my mission to express the intrinsic aesthetic value of Mathematics in a purely visual language. I use a number of graphing and geometric plotting techniques to examine the aesthetic characteristics of functions, sequences and series in a visual language. My drawings are an intense accumulation of lines and mark making resulting from my predisposition to counting.Through the years my drawing has become a type of meditation. One of my drawing methods involves the development of a hand made grids and a mapping process for each drawing. I decide on the proportions of the grid and then make a plan for the number of markings or strokes in each square. Many of the mathematical sequences in my work involve growth patterns.Some drawings are based on the Fibonacci Sequence. My drawings take the form of books, scrolls, videos and paintings.

Artworks

Image for entry 'Fibonacci Staircase'

Fibonacci Staircase

26" by 19" by 2"

Tyvek, Ink, Board, Frame and Dowels

2012

An interactive scroll in a viewing frame, allowing the viewer to scroll though a long drawing, mimicking my stop-motion video technique. The scroll is based on the Fibonacci Sequence and step progression. Hand drawn with ink on Tyvek. Hands-on art work.