Experimenting with the maths muse

Yesterday I posted on my TooManyPies blog about strategies for deciding what to work on each day, since I have so many things on the go at the same time. A while ago I was experimenting with line drawings that can be placed in any pattern combination—images that can be flipped, mirrored, rotated and even staggered—they aren’t constrained by a single orientation. As I was writing the post I decided to give it another go and this is what I came up with.

Here are 3 of the original drawings:

They line up to make a pattern whichever way you turn them. It’s a simple idea but loads of fun when you digitally manipulate them in photoshop:

A bit Cubist, a bit Futurist and very satisfying mathematically! Now I need to try the idea with more complexity—I’d like to create a more intricate network of lines that can be arranged in multiple ways.

Day 911/90 (approximation?)—I have to get an app that will countdown for me +×÷=∞

 

Video: flight of a small brown moth

This video by Dennis Hlynsky inspires contemplation of the small and the quiet, while manipulating the images to create rhythm and pattern that is both dynamic and serene. It is film at one moment, then animation, then just image, or even wallpaper or Japanese fabric.

I love the subtlety. I love the pattern-making. I also love (what appears to be) the surrender to digital manipulation—allowing the work to manifest from play with the tools.