Susan Happersett

Statement

After completing graduate degrees in Mathematics, as well as in the Arts, and working as a math teacher for a number of years, I have now been a full-time artist for 20 years. My work is widely collected by leading museums and universities around the world. In my art, I explore the aesthetic qualities of mathematics through sequences, series and, now, mapping. I express my ideas in drawings, paintings, artist's books, and videos. Recurring themes in my work are the Fibonacci Sequence, Chaos Theory, the Cartesian Coordinate System, the Cantor Set, Self Similarity and Fractals. Crucial to me is that all my work is hand-drawn: I design the algorithm and then I execute it by hand. I am the computer.

Artworks

For “Syncopated Hexagons” I used a process based on Set Theory using bijective (one point to one point) and non-bijective (one point to many points) mapping patterns. It features a set of 6 axes, intersecting at a central point, creating 60 degree and 30 degree angles. The figures in this work possess order-6 rotational symmetry. I repeated these hexagonal forms as building blocks within a grid formation. These tilings give me the opportunity to further explore wall paper patterns.