Bridges 2025 Exhibition of Mathematical Art, Craft, and Design

Rachel Quinlan

Artists

Rachel Quinlan

Senior Lecturer in Mathematics

School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Galway

Galway, Ireland

rachel.quinlan@universityofgalway.ie

http://www.rkq.ie

Statement

I am an academic mathematician and origami artist, based in Galway the west of Ireland. My work uses the mechanical and material properties of paper and of origami models to explore the mathematical concept of symmetry, particularly in plane patterns. The partial translucency of paper is essential to the visual effect of plane origami models. Their mathematical features are dramatically revealed by the simple physical act of using a window in daylight to provide illumination from behind. I am interested in the idea that mathematical reality and mathematical insight can be experienced and expressed through diverse physical and intellectual activities, and encountered in unexpected ways.

Artworks

Image for entry 'Square Waves (cmm)'

Square Waves (cmm)

42.0 x 42.0 cm

Paper

2025

Additional info

One of the pleasures of creating origami tessellations is that the visual effect of the backlit finished work is a surprise every time, despite attention at every stage to particular properties such as symmetry structure. This one is folded as an array of 900 square cells, each with one of just four configurations: the left and right square twist and their left and right untwisted versions. The pattern belongs to the wallpaper class cmm, and was designed for the special property that every band between a reflection axis and a neighbouring glide axis is a frieze of type mg. The sinuous character of the overall appearance arises from the layout of the pleat intersection angles, whose measures are confined to 45, 90 and 135 degrees.