Vivian Wang
Artists
Statement
As both a math-lover and artist, I am curious about geometry, color, and symmetry. I enjoy learning and playing around with different art forms and their applications to the realm of mathematical artwork. Most recently, I have been interested in designing and creating beaded polyhedral pieces, due to the versatility of the technique in forming various three-dimensional geometric structures and the puzzle-like challenge of constructing such pieces.
Artworks
Beaded Nanotori Hopf Link
15 x 20 x 10 cm
8mm wooden beads, acrylic, gouache
2015
Using the angle weave technique developed by Bih-Yaw Jin for beading molecules, I weaved two T240 carbon nanotori, using beads to represent chemical bonds. The tori represent a Hopf link, the simplest nontrivial link with more than 1 component. Each torus has five-fold symmetry and consists of 360 wooden beads painted with 10 different colors distributed evenly among the beads in a symmetric coloring pattern. In the left torus (painted with gouache), the colors (red through violet) are arranged sequentially around the torus. In the right torus (painted with acrylics), the colors are arranged in an interlocking pattern, such that 5 principal colors can be viewed clockwise on the bottom and 5 intermediate colors counterclockwise on the top.