Bridges 2026 Exhibition of Mathematical Art, Craft, and Design
Sabetta Matsumoto
Artists
Sabetta Matsumoto
Associate Professor of Physics
School of Physics, Georgia Tech
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Statement
Sabetta Matsumoto is an associate professor in the School of Physics at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her physics research centers around the relationship between geometry and material properties in soft systems, including liquid crystals, 3D printing and textiles. Her lab studies knitted textiles from the point of view of knot theory and as an additive manufacturing technique. She is also interested in using sewing, 3D printing and virtual reality in mathematical art and education.
Artworks
Menagerie of Magic Braids
20.0 x 20.0 cm
leather, elastane
2026
Magic braids are used in leatherworking to make intricate straps and bands. Unlike regular braids, which have free ends, these braids are closed off a both the
top and the bottom. Leatherworkers craft these braids by starting with a rectangular piece of leather with 𝑛−1 slits cut to form 𝑛 strands. This object is manipulated to arrange its strands into a non-trivial braid without introducing any twists in the strips. They appear to be impossible to make. This piece displays a selection of magic braids on 3 and 5 strands.