Happy Birthday Möbius Artist

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

It is my 47th birthday today and I find myself thinking about mathematics. Or maybe it is just the morphing of shapes and paths as we affect our own lives and the lives of others based on decisions of what we do and also (and sometimes more importantly) of what we choose NOT to do.

Take a long strip of paper or a ribbon, such as 1” wide by 10” long. As you pick up one end, give it a half twist before attaching it to the other end to form a ring. You will now have a Möbius Strip. Now, pretend you are a little person and go stand on one part of this circular form. Start walking -- either direction, it matters not. Make a mark as you move along -- just so you do not get lost. You will note that if you walk long enough you will reach the point of origin and you will not have crossed an edge to do it, but you will find that your mark lies on both sides of the paper! Named for German mathematician and astronomer August Ferdinand Möbius (1790-1868), a Möbius Strip only has one side and one edge.

I understand this technology is used in engine belts among other things. That half twist is key to putting a consistent wear and tear on the belt instead of just wearing out one side. Efficient and healthy a little twist can be!

My 2-part stone sculpture ”Möbius Mouth” is part of my "Lips Series." The mouth has a heart shape in the negative space inside the lips. He is carved from a Rattlesnake Limestone from Texas, named after the shape of the shell fossils in the stone. The triangular base enhances the idea of the mathematics of the Möbius lips and is carved from Henna Limestone from Canada. He also has some wonderful fossils that I hope you will discover.

“Möbius Mouth"
Rattlesnake Limestone (Texas)
with Henna Limestone (Canada)
one-of-a-kind
17" h x 22" w x 8.5" d

To see more of this stone sculpture, including images taken during the carving process, please visit: www.borsheimarts.com/sculpture/2006/mobius.htm

So, thank you to all who sent me birthday wishes via e-mail, Facebook, and phone. Let’s get a little twisted! Or stoned – ha! ;-)