Emanuela Ughi

Statement

All my life I have loved geometrical shapes, and there is nothing I enjoy more than inspiring others to love them, too. I have always found it difficult, though, to describe the mental images of mathematical objects through words alone. It was for this reason that I began constructing geometrical objects: art works, manipulatives, puzzles, and more – to communicate the elegance and beauty of shape. And I have seen, time and again how, by viewing and handling complex objects in concrete form, people of all ages glean an appreciation for – and understanding of – them. It is a joy for me to hear the astonished exclamation: “Ohhhh!” when someone has grasped a mathematical concept through the medium of one of my objects.

Artworks

Interactive mathematical art: a three-dimensional puzzle of magnetized cardboard pieces. The main piece needs just 8 corners to become a cube, but it can also become a compound of 3 intersecting cubes (yellow, red and blue), using the other 30 pieces. While assembling the compound of three cubes, the player can enjoy its symmetries and experience the tactile pleasure of completing a perfect geometric structure.