Bridges Conference (Virtual), 2021

The model is a physical study of aperiodic subgrouping. A fivefold symmetric point cloud was subdivided into subgroups and each point was replaced by a tile. Each tile is tilted to reflect sunlight at a chosen angle, so that the visible pattern changes over the course of the day. The model has five subgroups and ten tile types, but the number of groups and tiles can be varied. It was painted black and tilt was kept minimal to reduce shadow casting within the pattern.

Research:
A fivefold symmetric point cloud was partitioned into subgroups. Each point was replaced by a physical tile and the tile orientation was set by the subgroup and by the desired reflection angle. The algorithm keeps the aperiodic structure while assigning tilt consistently within each subgroup. The result was 3d printed in resin for the 2021 Bridges Conference.