Intersections
A Public Art Exhibition
Shiying Dong
Shiying Dong is a pioneering fiber artist merging mathematics and art through abstract sculpture. With a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in mathematics, Shiying developed Topological Crochet, a groundbreaking style translating algebraic topology concepts into yarn. This innovative approach unlocks artistic freedom, enabling creators to craft complex forms previously challenging to achieve with traditional methods.
As an educator, Shiying teaches online workshops at the National Museum of Mathematics and has led sessions at the Bridges math art conferences. Shiying shares her techniques on YouTube (@epimono) and is co-authoring Unravelling Topological Crochet with math artist Eve Torrence.
Shiying’s work has been showcased at Bridges and the Joint Mathematics Meetings. Her piece, Saddle Monster, shown in that exhibition, was the winner of the Best Textile, Sculpture, or Other Medium award in the JMM 2025 Mathematical Art Exhibition. Expanding her creative horizons, Shiying also enjoys laser cutting, becoming one of the two winners of the prestigious 2023 Einstein Mad Hat Award Grand Prize. As a teenager, she won a Silver Medal in the first Asian Physics Olympiad.
Artwork
Solomon’s Knot Rings
Wool, nylon, copper
9” x 9” x 9”
$400
This piece is similar to the famous Borromean rings, as it is formed by three identical structures linked in a way that has chiral tetrahedral symmetry. However, in this piece, each structure is Solomon’s knot, a link of two components, and the whole surface has a bigger symmetry group, which is chiral octahedral symmetry. The flow and interlinked curves move elegantly, which resembles the interdependence and the relationships of human beings. The surface stretches naturally and resembles a minimal surface due to the subtle balance between the tensions from the wire on the boundary and the stitch arrangement inside. Such effortless balance hints at the beauty and harmony hidden in this world we call home.