2026 Joint Mathematics Meetings
Lorelei Koss
Artists
Lorelei Koss
Professor of Mathematics
Dickinson College
Carlisle Pennsylvania USA
Statement
My mother taught me to knit and crochet, and my daughter taught me to make friendship bracelets. I enjoy using mathematical ideas in crafts that have traditionally been associated with women, creating work that bridges these domains.
Artworks
Cellular Automata Watch Bands
25.0 x 18.0 cm
11/0 glass beads, grey 0.008 inch beading thread, beadslide clasps, A-11 watch head, E. Howard & Co. watch head, Apple watch head
2025
I was inspired to explore how cellular automata could reveal the mathematics in watch design. This work is a collection of three watchbands, each using a cellular automaton connected to its watch head's function: a firing-squad synchronization automaton for the A-11, a World War II military watch built for precise coordination; a probabilistic automaton for the E. Howard, an atomic watch designed for timekeeping accuracy; and an encryption automaton for the Apple Watch, a digital device engineered for secure communication. Each band uses a cellular automaton whose pattern mirrors a defining feature of its watch, making visible the mathematical principles embedded in each design.