Mikael Vejdemo-Johansson

Biography

I have a mathematician training, with bachelor and master from Stockholm University and a doctorate from Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena. My approach to mathematical thought is very computational: I tend to write software and code to explore ideas and figure things out. In my mathematical art I seek to reify the abstract, to make mathematical concepts and shapes available to touch, to trace, to twist and turn. To create physical artifacts meant for interaction to bring the complex closer and make the abstract concrete. Over many years, I have primarily worked with computer assisted techniques - laser cutting and 3d printing, but I have come to enjoy how closely the physical manipulation of wire, chain or cable can get to the abstractions mathematicians regularly work with. This has led me to a new interest in shaping metal, in wire-wrapping, and in silver wire as an artistic medium.

Looks

About the look

Knot Table Necklace

Silver wire and silver chain

2024

In this art work, working in argentium silver wire, the Knot Table up to 7 crossings is reproduced: each horizontal of the necklace carries one of these categories, with adjacent knots sharing the same degree of complexity, and as you go down you find simpler and simpler knots.

Perko Pair Earrings

Silver wire and silver earring studs

2024

In 1973, Kenneth Perko found a duplicate in the 10-crossing knots of the most accepted knot table. This duplicate - two versions of a knot whose diagrams are different enough to have gone unnoticed for almost a century - is known as the Perko Pair and accompanies the Knot Table necklace as a pair of earrings, hanging from subtle silver studs.