Workshop

Reza Sarhangi

Towson University, USA

"Geometric Constructions of Mosaic Designs"

Profile

Dr. Sarhangi is a professor of mathematics at Towson University, Towson, Maryland, USA and the founder and President of the Bridges Organization, which oversees the annual international conference of Bridges: Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science (www. BridgesMathArt.Org).

He is one of the founders and an associate editor of the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, published by Taylor & Francis in London, UK. His latest work is a special issue in mathematics and Persian architecture that he edited for the Nexus Network Journal of Architecture and Mathematics, Volume 14, Number 2, 2012, Published by Birkhäuser Verlag, Springer, Heidelberg, Germany. 

Workshop

The focus of this workshop is to study three different approaches for creating mosaic designs and to compare them. A traditional and well-known method in this regard is using a compass and straightedge to create rectangular girihs (the fundamental regions). The other method that will be introduced and discussed during this workshop is the use of the modularity method. Modularity is a special cutting and pasting process of tiles to create tile designs. The third method is based on (n, k) star polygons. During this workshop the participants will create a series of designs, and in the end construct ornamented dodecahedra.

After the Workshop

Everyone enjoyed the activities of the workshop and learned some interesting construction techniques for mosaic designs.  After the workshop, some of the materials for the workshop such as rulers, pencils and etc. were left over. The Staff of the Secretariat of ICWM 2014 decided that the left over material should be donated to Marie Francoise Ouedraogo (President of African Women in Mathematics Association) of Burkina Faso to give out to students who could use the materials.  In December, Marie Francoise Ouedraogo sent photographs of students receiving the materials.  The photographs of the students receiving the donated materials are linked below.  It was very nice to see that the extra material from the workshop was put to good use.

Photographs provided by Marie Francoise Ouedraogo of Burkina Farso.