2023 Bridges Conference Art Exhibition

Susan Goldstine

Artists

Susan Goldstine

Professor of Mathematics

St. Mary's College of Maryland

St. Mary's City, Maryland, USA

sgoldstine@smcm.edu

http://faculty.smcm.edu/sgoldstine/gallery/mathart.html

Statement

There are two things I have done for as long as I can remember: explore mathematics, and create things with my hands. In my professional academic life, these impulses have merged into my specialization in mathematics and the arts. I am particularly devoted to exploring handcrafts, especially those in the fiber arts traditionally viewed as feminine. The interplay between mathematics and fiber arts is endlessly fascinating, both in the ways that mathematics allows for a deeper understanding of knitting, crochet, weaving, and so forth, and in the ways that these crafts can illuminate complex concepts in mathematics.

Artworks

Image for entry 'Redistribution'

Redistribution

66.0 x 33.0 x 12.0 cm

Berroco Remix Light yarn, copper wire

2023

The two halves of this work use the same recursive branching structure, mirrored through the color-change axis. As an outgrowth of the recursive rule, the numbers of purple columns at each level are the Virahanka sequence, also known as the Fibonacci numbers. In the top, the branchings occur at the Fibonacci levels, so that the length of the knit rows grows proportionately to the height of the knitting. Thus, the top fabric lies flat and occupies a sector of a circle. By contrast, the branchings in the bottom are evenly spaced, so that the length of the rows grows roughly exponentially, giving the bottom its flared form. Inside the I-cord border, the total number of stitches in the top section and the bottom section are the same.