**Unfortunately, the registration for this event is full. Please note that this event will be recorded and made available on the JICC YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/JICCDC/). Limited standby space will be available on the day of the event.**
Professor Erik Demaine of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) is known for blurring the lines between art and mathematics, freely moving from designing sculpture to proving theorems and back again. Paper folding provides a great setting for this approach, as it mixes a rich geometric structure with a beautiful art form.
Mathematically, Professor Demaine has continually developed new algorithms to fold paper into any shape; his work with Tomohiro Tachi of the University of Tokyo on the new Origamizer algorithm has enabled efficient watertight folding of any polyhedral surface, such as the classic Stanford bunny or Utah teapot. Sculpturally, Professor Demaine has been exploring curved creases, which remain poorly understood mathematically, but have potential applications in robotics, deployable structures, manufacturing, and self-assembly. His collaborations with his father, Martin Demaine, have also allowed him to explore how folding changes with other materials, such as hot glass, opening a new approach to glass blowing, and finding new ways for paper and glass to interact.
By integrating science and art, we constantly find new inspirations, problems, and ideas: proving that sculptures do or don't exist, or illustrating mathematical beauty through physical beauty. Join us for a special lecture as Professor Demaine discusses his collaborations in the fields of mathematics and art, and how they overlap through the realm of paper folding.
This lecture is presented as part of the Unfolding the Universe exhibition.