Touching Mathematics With Your Bare Hands

Meet Metatron, one of the many amazing creations of artist Bathsheba Grossman. As Grossman puts it: Metatron . . . has cuboctahedral symmetry . . . the layers of sintered metal powder are aligned with the junctionsalong one fourfold axis, creating a pattern of concentriccircles. Grossman works at the intersection of science, math and art […]

Metatron_3Meet Metatron, one of the many amazing creations of artist Bathsheba Grossman. As Grossman puts it:

Metatron . . . has cuboctahedral symmetry . . . the layers of sintered metal powder are aligned with the junctionsalong one fourfold axis, creating a pattern of concentriccircles.

Grossman works at the intersection of science, math and art to produce everything from metal sculptures that demonstrate complicated mathematical concepts, to laser-edged glass plates depicting the 3D structure of molecules. Her designs recently landed her in an issue of Discover magazine, which means that she's backordered into 2010 or something. But you can browse through her website to find some of the most mysterious and strange objects imaginable, and view them from multiple angles for maximum effect.

Bathsheba Sculpture [artist's website]