Triple Mobius

Deborah Howard, Triple MobiusDeborah Howard, Triple Mobius, Acrylics, ink on paper, 1999.
Location: Anderson Academic Commons

Artist Statement: In mathematics, the möbius is the symbol for infinity. It has two loops and resembles the number eight lying horizontally. A three-dimensional möbius is a twisted ribbon with a surface that flows continuously from the inside to the outside. In Triple Möbius, there are three loops instead of two, making it an example of “pure math.” If you start anywhere on the painting you will travel to the outside and back to the inside continuously. The painting was inspired by a childhood memory of being with my father at a science museum and seeing a large model of a möbius ribbon. The model had a toy train that traveled on a track from the inside to the outside continuously – to a child it seemed magical. The möbius resembles the process of doing research in a library where one can discover a path that will lead from one idea to another on a journey that is cyclical and unending.