Exhibition by Daina Taimina, contributions from creative communities from Riga and Latvia

Curator: Rasa Smite

It is not an easy task to describe various natural shapes by mathematical formulas. Mathematician Daina Taimina is using crochet to create hyperbolic planes. As it turns out, the handicraft helps to understand mathematics, but the ancient art of crochet acquires contemporary resonance.

In January, at one of the opening events of Riga 2014, RIXC invited crocheters to make their own white hyperbolic planes in order to create the installation The Cloud of White Thoughts. Nearly two hundred participants from all over Latvia joined in thus creating not only The White Cloud,but also a social network.

Daina Taimina is Latvian mathematician, mathematical historian and artist. She was born in Riga, currently adjunct associate professor of mathematics in Cornell University (US). Crocheted first hyperbolic plane for using it in non-Euclidean geometry class in 1997.

 

Throughout October– every Tuesday at 5pm tea, conversations and crocheting with Daina Taimina;

Saturday, October 11 at 2pm workshop for children led by Daina Taimina – creation of hyperbolic planes from paper;