Aperiodic Aquatics I Limited Edition of 8
The Ammann A2 set uses one tile shape, but in 4 different versions – mirrored, and scaled by the Silver Ratio – which is 1 plus the square root of 2. I found a version of substitution using 3 different edge profiles. The 3 edges form a grouper, a fiddleshark, a cuttlefish and a sea-going frog (in case there is an objection even in Strange Creatures to mixing fresh water and salt water creatures – there is one that exists in Singapore – the crab-eating frog (Fejervarya cancrivora).
This tiling demonstrates how tricky it is to make anisohedral tiles, and still have visually believable creatures – the 3 profiles are used in various combinations a total of 36 times, and in all cases it has to work visually and linked thematically.
My only quibble with this one is that it is not a plan view, so I have broken my rule about not having them relate to each other in unnatural orientations. I also did not follow the colouring rule for this collection as it hid the more interesting complex structure of the Ammann Tiles. But perhaps as strange creatures in a strange universe, it is perfectly OK.
As an added layer, the ripples of their watery world curvaceously trace the location of the Ammann Bars, and flow across the page in a series of diagonals. If you step back from the print, you can see another scale of Ammann bars formed by the colours of the creatures, a nice demonstration of the multi-scalar properties of aperiodic tilings.
Note the escaping frog at the top left of the print.
- Archival Pigment print on Bamboo Awagami Washi paper
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118 x 84 cm
(46.46 x 33.07 in)