Robert Fathauer
Mathematical structure is evident throughout the natural world. My work explores the mathematics of symmetry, fractals, tessellations and more, blending it with plant and animal forms as well as inorganic forms found in nature. This synthesis allows me to create innovative prints and sculptures that derive their beauty from a combination of complexity and underlying order.
This is a group of three small 3D prints of imagined human-scale walkable structures. These are based on the Hilbert curve (upper right), Borromean rings (bottom), and the (5,3) torus knot (upper left). Traversing such structures in one’s imagination is entertaining and can provide a deeper understanding of mathematical objects.
This piece is a double spiral in which two different types of clay were used. The piece is unglazed, so the natural fired clay color shows. The starting point was two long linear ramps cut from clay slabs, with the ramps matched tall end to short end before rolling into a spiral.