Final Project: Learning Embodied hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Direction Terminology

Week 9: Mathematics and Traditional & Contemporary Practices of Making and Doing

 Activity: braiding rope with 7 strands

I grew up with long hair, and taught myself to french braid when I was about 9. I taught my kids how to make 'friendship' bracelets when they were quite young my daughter expanded on that skill to creating amazing workds of art with embroidery thread!  

This activity stood out to me as my choice since I have experimented with braiding hair with multiple strands (to no avail). As when I had tried braiding hair, I found that with this activity I continued to fall into the pattern that my fingers were "used to" with 3-strand braiding and dropped the wrong double strands when i should have lifted them, and placed strands "over" others when they were supposed to go "under". What I noticed as the braid progressed was that it seemed that 2 braids were forming along the outside while an interesting chevron was forming down the centre.

Often in the Pre-school we fix our students' hair after nap time, or a really good outside play time. The children are intrigued with the over-under-criss-cross of braiding hair. I think it would be beneficial for young fingers to have a model of some sort where there is 3 strands made of shoe laces for students to learn to braid with!  This extension of learning to braid at such a young age definitely brings Indigenous students back to the 'ways' of their Ancestors and allows for an appreciation of learning the pattern of over under.

 

Viewing: Vested Interest (Sharon Kallis)

 I was drawn to this video -possibly because I have developed an affinity for vests these days(?) As it turns out, it was an intriguing video, I've always been interested in sheep sheering and the wool making process. I love making clothes as well, so I liked seeing this process of creating the fabric prior to sewing together a vest! I made a small felt square in our art course a few years ago, it was hard work for a small piece of fabric -I can't imagine the time and effort that goes into a very large piece that could be used to make a vest!

Reading: Bohr & Olsen. The ancient art of laying rope.

 My dad was a fisherman. He taught me to fish. He taught me to appreciate good quality rope -we couldn't afford good rope; I learned this from his being disgusted at always having to fix and repair the cheap "nylon" rope he was forced to put up with.

This paper begins with stating that ancient rope samples are shown to have been depicted in  Egyptian hyroglyphs. At the Museum of Anthropology there are pieces of the remnants of an ancient fishing net used by my ancestors here on the Fraser Delta made from cedar. How amazing to think that something so integral to preserving life (fishing for food) could itself be preserved hundreds of years!

https://pin.it/6kshLDC

 

The science and mathematics involved in creating something that can withstand water, the strength of fish and then manhandling involved with fishing blows my mind! There has to be strength as well has give that allows for a fish to be trapped yet the 'give' to allow the fish to be caught and not bounce right off of the net.

Bohr & Olsen state that the construction of a rope is geometrical (p.3) -having never seriously taken geometry this statment surprises me! As such, what an interesting concept to learn geometry with!

While this may not seem "rope" the construction is much the same. There are many different net constructions, with multiple weights, "...the physical forces that one strand is causing on another strand are indirectly implied, i.e. repulsions are assumed to be infinetly large when the hard-wall criterion is violated." (Bohr, 2011, p.4).

Week 8: Mathematics & Poetry and Novels...

Viewing:

 I chose to watch the how orbifolds inform shibori dyeing video by Carolyn Yackel. I found this interesting because of my children. I have 3 daughters who are keen on tye dyeing almost every spring they are making new "wild & wonderful" tshirts (as my mom would say!) I found the shibori video very interesting; because, while the "method" is similar the process for 'blocking' the dye is different. 

If you haven't attempted tie-dyeing, the thing that blocks the dye from portions of your fabric is elastic/rubber bands that hold the fabric in a bunch, (which previously was some type of string tied around the fabric) the rubber bands prevent the dye from seeping into that particular portion of the material you are dyeing. So,  shibori dyeing utilizes folding and disc-type objects; Carolyn used coins fastened by "bull dog clips" to the fabric. Somehow the folds are what cause 'stripes' to form during the dyeing process, as well as the coins to form the non-dyed circle shapes. Carolyn experimented with these "orbifolds" to create a predictable pattern on her fabric.

Activity:

For the activity this week, I chose the "What is the best way to lace your shoes" video by Mathologer. This was appealed  to me because at quite a young age, my dad taught me how to lace my shoes differently than everyone else. [image 1] 

Mathologer "proves" the best way to lace one's shoes is the standard criss-cross lacing method (which is seems to be why this is the 'standard' practice)     [image 2]
Not only is this the 'best' way he states that it is the shortest and "tight" version for keeping the 2 sides of the shoe together and snug on the foot. 

 Another version that he posits to be mathematically sound is called the bow tie method, I tried this and it feels strange on my feet! kind of loose, kind of tight -maybe it feels strange because I don't have enough eyelets for this method? I don't like it! I told my husband that it feels like a 10-year-old laced and tied my shoes for me!

What's interesting, and the idea that Mathologer is trying to get across is that there is a shortest amount / way of lacing shoes, and using mathematical terms and breaking the crosses away from the 3D into a 2D kind of fashion using equal lines //// |||| _ _he shows how the bow tie method is the 'shortest' method (i.e. most efficient use of lacing). This would be a fantastic way to help students learn geometry (?) in the lower levels and bring their world into what they are learning and to "see math all around you".

When my daughter was in elementary school, she was very interested in lacing her shoes in different ways! I asked if she could remember how to weave her shoelaces to help me with this activity, she couldn't, and looked on tiktok to see if there was a tutorial similar to what she did, this is another method she found: tiktok shoelace knot  -I'm not sure whether this would fit into the "shortest" lacing category...)

Reading: 

Gwen Fisher (Bridges 2015) Highly Unlikely Triangles and other Impossible Figures in Bead Weaving

In this paper, Gwen Fisher shows how she created a series of beaded sculptures from the impossible triangle and its variations by using a technique known as CRAW (cubic right angle weave). The ABSTRACT states, "...beaded art objects generate surfaces that twist like Mobius bands...which make interesting colourings possible." (Fisher, 2015)

 

This reading was especially interesting  because, my husband and I often comment on optical illusions that we come across, the "impossible triangle" is one that always intrigues us.

"Oscar Reutersvard drew the first impossible triangel in 1934." (p.99) Then, "...mathematician Roger Penrose, who popularized it in the 1950's..." (p.99). Fisher tells how sculptures and artists have drawn liknesses, but it would be impossible to create one in 3D if the edges are assumed to be straight and connected with right angles.

"Hofstader calls this 'play[ing] with the level-distinction between that which represents and that which is represented... that which represents' (i.e., a drawing) becomes a recipe for 'that which is represented' (i.e., a beaded sculpture)." (p.100)

Fisher creates beautiful beadwork by beading with a new weaving stitch mentioned earlier, CRAW and incorporating a quarter turn with each cube. This quarter turn can be seen in figure 2. 

Fisher continues sharing more impossible shapes created with her CRAW -quarter turn twist beading. I can appreciate and enjoy the 'sculptures' created and shown, but I found myself getting anxiety while trying to understand the mathematical terminology and directions provided! If I were to try to create one of the impossible beaded pieces, I would seek out the proffered YouTube channel and go through the steps very slowly! This Paper is yet another example of the many different and lovely ways to teach students mathematics that is not static, paper and pencil working numerals and digits.