Susan Happersett

Statement

In my art, I explore the aesthetic qualities of mathematics through sequences, series, and mapping. I express my ideas in drawings, sculptures, artist's books, and videos. Recurring themes in my work are the Fibonacci Sequence, Chaos Theory, symmetry, the Cartesian Coordinate System, the Cantor Set, Self Similarity and Fractals. Crucial to me is that all my work is hand-drawn: I design the algorithm and then I execute it by hand. I am the computer. I have always been interested is creating hyperbolic forms using basic geometric paper shapes, Möbius strips and circles, squares, and octagons. Now I am exploring disco rectangles (geometric stadiums). By combining a series of identical shapes I have been able to build complex sculptures.

Artworks

“Ribbon Loop” is one of the sculptures in my new “Disco Loops” series. Disco Loops are undulating hyperbolic sculptures using a set of five geometric stadium shapes. The center rectangle has a height congruent to the diameter of the end half-circles and a width congruent with the radii. Each of the five pieces has a two-part slit cut into it so that they can be combined by stacking and overlapping to make the helix formation. When the shape is unwound, so that the two loose ends connect, a complex form with many convex and concave ruffles is formed. The drawing on “Ribbon Loop” creates the illusion of an impossible grosgrain ribbon that would have to be woven on a helix-shaped loom.