Week 9: Bead Weaving and Triangles
Highly Unlikely Triangles and Other Impossible Figures in Bead Weaving – Gwen L. Fisher In this paper, Gwen Fisher explores how mathematical ideas can be expressed through bead weaving by creating physical versions of “impossible figures,” such as the Penrose triangle. Impossible figures appear coherent in two-dimensional drawings but cannot exist in three-dimensional space if their edges remain straight and rigid. Fisher shows that by using bead weaving techniques, particularly cubic right angle weave (CRAW), these shapes can be constructed as sculptures because the flexibility of the beads allows the beams to twist and curve. In doing so, the paradox of the impossible triangle is resolved through small structural changes such as quarter twists in the beams. The project demonstrates how mathematical structures, visual perception, and artistic craft can come together to produce new forms of mathematical expression. Stop 1: Mathematics as Material and Craft I stopped reading when Fisher...