Gwen Fisher
"Symmetric Beaded Beads"
Glass and stone beads, nymo thread, individual beaded beads range from 2.5 cm
to 5 cm in diameter, 2005
Gwen Fisher • Mathematics Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Symmetry groups of real, bounded, three-dimensional objects are described
mathematically by the three-dimensional point groups. The beaded beads in this
collection are representations of the icosahedral group (top), the tetrahedral
group (middle), and the cube-octahedral group (bottom). Most of these beaded beads are hollow, held
open by tension. The objects were constructed with bead weaving, which is a
rapidly developing art form and provides a new medium that is rich for discovering
and displaying physical representations of these and other symmetry groups.
email: glfisher@calpoly.edu