Intersections

A Public Art Exhibition

Diagram depicting the concept of intersections, with multicolored lines and the word 'INTERSECTIONS' in orange overlaid on the image.
Portrait of a middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing a blue button-up shirt, smiling at the camera.

Richard Hammack

Richard Hammack is a mathematics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University who works in graph theory and combinatorial topology. He developed an early fascination with mathematical visualization as an undergraduate painting major at Rhode Island School of Design. Subsequently an interest in computer graphics led him to a masters degree in computer science, then a PhD in mathematics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to his current position he taught at Randolph Macon College, Wake Forest University and UNC Chapel Hill. The author of over 50 research papers and three books, he has recently begun making small-scale mathematical paper constructions. He is presently completing a pop-up book about 4-dimensional geometry.

Artwork

4 Views of the 4-Cube

Laser-printed cardstock, glue
variable, up to 5” x 18” x 18”

$300

Set of blue and white educational paper booklets and a card about 3D geometric shapes, including cubes and tesseracts, with diagrams and descriptions, arranged on a white surface.

My recent work is a mixture of printmaking, publishing and pedagogy. I make small-scale paper constructions that can be quickly printed on an office copier, then scored, cut, folded, glued and assembled in large quantities. In these small visual mathematical essays, I strive to hit a sweet spot between humor and pedagogy. I always want the viewer to laugh or smile, or wonder. Each piece should present a new idea or an unexpected twist on an old one.

The series on exhibit here is a collection of pop-up cards that open to reveal a different view of the 4-dimensional cube, or tesseract. They are simultaneously exotic mathematical objects and messages.

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