We’re thrilled to introduce the third of our FirstBank Spring Horseshoe Market scholarship recipients, Hypatia Studios. Check out our interview below with this creative and mathematical duo, Matt and Mahi. You’ll find them along with 130 vendors this Saturday at 46th & Tennyson. Rain, snow or shine!

Tell us about your art or craft and how you got started creating.

We make jewelry and sculpture based on mathematics and patterns in nature.  Most of our pieces are made using 3D printing.  We start with an equation or an idea, such as a braid or the equation for a fractal.  We write our own computer software to render the equations into three-dimensional shapes that can be made into real, physical objects.  Our challenge is to find shapes and designs that are visually compelling and also convey some essence of the original equation or concept.  Because each design is a faithful representation of the underlying math, we can do this only by adjusting the inputs to the equations and our software.

We got started when one of us (Matt) wanted to make a unique wedding band for the other (Mahi).  I discovered that I could use 3D printing to make the ring — if I could design it on a computer first.  Because I couldn’t find any existing computer software that would make the braided design I had in mind, I called on my engineering background to make a mathematical description of the braid, and then wrote my own computer program to generate the model of the ring.  The result turned out even better than I had hoped, and our line of braided designs grew out of that original program.  Other ideas soon followed — Platonic solids, turbulence and other fluid flow, fractals, etc.

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What’s your favorite thing(s) about being an artist/creator working and living in Denver and Colorado?

We were thrilled to discover that there is a wonderful, welcoming community of independent artists centered in Denver!  We have gotten so much support and help to grow as artists and to learn how to bring our work in front of a wider audience.  We hope to continue to grow and to stay active in this community to give something back.

What about the Horseshoe Market are you looking forward to, and what will folks find at your booth?

We are looking forward to having fun, meeting other local artists, and to sell, sell, sell!  We will have our most popular designs, colorful earrings based on the geometry of Platonic solids.  We also have metal earrings and necklaces based on braids, Celtic knot designs, strange attractors etched in brass, fractal sculptures, and many other pieces of mathematics you can wear or display on your shelf!

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