Robin Endelman
Artists
Robin Endelman
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of the Fraser Valley
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Statement
When not doing mathematics (abstract algebra, representation theory), I am an avid knitter. I am always interested in ways to combine these two activities, particularly as "wearable" mathematics. I am also currently interested in creating a math-art course that would introduce students without a math background to a variety of topics at all levels in mathematics, and share the excitement and beauty of our subject with a wide audience.
Artworks
A probabilistic shawl
64 x 109 cm
Peruvian pima cotton and tencel knit
2015
Creation of this piece involved a constraint of having fixed and unequal quantities of the different colours. I wanted the design to be a random colour sequence. Generating this colour sequence was made by random selection with replacement, according to the various probabilities for each colour. The end result experimentally demonstrated the theoretical probabilities quite precisely!
Prefering to use natural-source fibre, pima cotton/tencel blend was chosen for its softness and drape. The stitch is a slip-stitch pattern, which allows for variations in the intermingling of colours at the colour boundaries.