Elegant Scarf Designs
Mathemaesthetics was founded in 1988 by Doug McKenna, a computer programmer and mathematical
artist who delights in finding new recursive geometries.
In addition to his work as a software developer--itself a form of mathematical art--McKenna
has for over 30 years created works in his chosen medium of fractal tile designs, space-filling
curves, and other recursive or self-referential geometries.
Most recently, he has converted some of these
mathematical discoveries into fabric designs for silk scarves.
These unique scarves are great conversation pieces and make fantastic gifts for anyone
interested in pattern, puzzles, fun, beauty, and elegance. With a certain Escher-like quality
to them, these
scarves' foreground and background patterns are identical and therefore indistinguishable. (In
technical parlance, they are "self-negative".) In
other words, is the design color on white? Or is it white on color? The answer is ... both
(just rotate the scarf 180 degrees!).
For the mathematically curious, these designs are based on what are called
"generalized Peano Curves", a
certain type of fractal. But although McKenna uses mathematical principles and computer
software to create these designs
and to accurately lay them out, anyone can appreciate them as elegant, beautiful, and fun without
needing to understand the underlying geometric principles or computer-aided construction techniques.
As abstract patterns they are truly timeless.
The current line has been coordinated to work well with the latest fashion colors.
Each scarf is approximately 5-6 feet long by 1 foot wide, in medium weight chiffon. We are preparing
a suite of five different patterns and colors, to suit different tastes.
McKenna Scarves are available in quantity at wholesale prices to museum stores or other fine retail
outlets.
Please contact us for our reseller pricing, suggested
retail prices, packaging, availability, and ordering information.
Patterns and Colors
Based on one of many new mathematical patterns that
McKenna has explored and catalogued, this scarf's design starts out as a specialized 9 by 9 tile design akin to his "Synaptica" print
here. After smoothing all corners, the motif is
precisely repeated in a very specialized (self-similar) way to connect with copies of itself in a
literally seamless fashion, so that the border between foreground and background areas of the scarf
is a single curved path. You could cut the scarf into two identical jigsaw-like pieces just by
following this curve (but don't try it, the path may be easy to follow, but unraveled it would be
over 400 feet long!!).
More to come ...