Rorschachohedron

George W. Hart


This is a six-holed polyhedron covered in synthetic fur, about 16" high including the base, which is a three-twist Mobius strip.  The underlying polyhedron, inside and out, is composed of regular pentagons, squares, and equilateral triangles. But the fur softens it so the geometry is not obvious. I call it Rorschachohedron because people see it very differently.  It is a fun, wholesome, tactile experience to try to feel the geometry through the fur, but some find it too erotic to touch or put their hand inside. (Bob Brill coined a nice word, "wombic," to characterize it.)

The above image illustrates how the six openings all connect to the central cavity, and how from the proper viewpoint one can see in one side and out the other.

The highly textured tongue-like base is made of an epoxy composite over steel, painted with pink enamel. The top image above shows how it rests on the base at three places.

The underlying plywood form, naked of fur, is very geometric as you can see here, but you don't see that in the final piece; you can only feel it. I'd like to thank my mom, who found just the right fur for the job. (She says a kitten would like to curl up inside it, so I should have called it Cat House.)



copyright 1999, George W. Hart