Rona Gurkewitz

artist, professor emerita computer science
Western Connecticut State University
Seattle, Washington

I am interested in origami, tilings and puzzles. This is a 'system' of making tiled origami quilts that are a decorative art and a puzzle. Thousands of tilings are possible, including traditional American quilt patterns. It is interesting that mathematicians and quilt makers are interested in tilings that are very similar. They are Truchet tiles for mathematicians and the Half Square Triangle quilts for quilters. The origami tiles are either a square, or isosceles right triangle (half square) with tabs that are used to attach the tile to a woven mat whose strips are the same width as the side of the square or triangle. It takes a little thought to figure out how to attach tiles. One can experiment with designs and archive them.

Eight Pointed Star Ramble: Tiled Origami Quilt
Eight Pointed Star Ramble: Tiled Origami Quilt
30 x 30 cm
Drawing paper
2005

This work is a combination of weaving, tiling, quilt pattern, computer graphics and modular origami. It is an example of my technique of Tiled Origami Quilts. It is made of a mat woven from strips of paper and modular origami paper tiles. The tiles are squares or right isosceles triangles that are half of the squares, with two tabs that attach the tiles to the mat. The tilings produced are Truchet to mathematicians, or half square triangles plus squares to quilters. There are thousands of tilings possible. The paper patterns are original to me and done with Artlandia Symmetry Shop and Photoshop.