2024 Joint Mathematics Meetings
Leo Kargin
Artists
Statement
In my work, I aim to push the medium of balloons beyond the animals, which they are commonly associated with, instead creating large intricate constructions. In particular, within my art, I combine twisting balloons with my passion for math. By creating something large and intricate out of something so inherently playful, I depict the grandeur and awe that can occur from the whimsy of math.
Artworks
Balloon 120-cell
45.0 x 45.0 x 45.0 cm
Twisting Balloons
2023
A projection of a 120-cell (one of the six 4-dimensional polyhedra) into 3D space. It consists of 120 adjoined polyhedra and is constructed from blue and pink 160q twisting balloons. The pink balloons appear sparsely and are used to emphasize a central line of pentagons that create a hallway of symmetry. In total, the shape consists of 620 edges made from around 40 balloons. A 120-cell is a 4-dimensional object, and any 3-dimensional representation is merely a shadow of it. The choice to use balloons in representing the 120-cell reflects this. Balloons are light and shadow-like. Further, they are flexible, emphasizing how small changes do not destroy the structure the object is representing. The design was inspired by Zometool's Hyperdo.