Khushbu Kshirsagar
Artists
Khushbu Kshirsagar
Mechanical Artist
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois, USA
Statement
Khushbu is an Engineer, Educator and Maker interested in designing hands-on learning experiences at an intersection of engineering design, mathematics and art. She holds a masters degree in S.T.E.M. Education, with a concentration in Mathematics Education. Her work follows an interdisciplinary approach to making with a focus on designing math manipulatives that spark wonder and curiosity. She designs educational technologies in the form of interactive mechanical art, paper zines and postcards; with the intention to take one away from the computer screen, and to enable accessibility.
Artworks
Inspired by Hoberman's sphere, an isokinetic sculpture that resembles a geodesic dome but is capable of folding down to a fraction of its normal size, Hex-Flex is a kinetic sculpture that draws fascinating connections with math as a part of its making process. The design is a hands-on manifestation of hexagons, their properties and mechanical movements. All the pieces in the sculpture stem from a circle of radius 'r' that can be inscribed in a hexagon. The connecting pieces joining the corresponding hexagons in motion are obtained by joining every other vertex of the previously obtained hexagon. The base of the sculpture also results from the dimensions of the hexagons and the connecting pieces, demonstrating relative interconnectedness.