12-Pointed Islamic Star

20137" x 7" x 7"3D printed plaster composite Trace the intricate pattern covering this unusual 3-dimensional star. This piece is a study in contrasts - simplicity vs. complexity, and ancient vs. modern. The shape itself is simple and modern - 12 points arranged towards the corners of an icosahedron, with only two different face shapes (narrow and wide rhombi). But the pattern on the surface is ancient and complex - a classical Islamic pattern based on 5- and 10-fold symmetries. There is actually a bit of "sleight of hand" involved in making this sculpture work. Since the rhombi that form the faces are not made up of neat 10-fold angles like 36 or 72 degrees (as many people assume), the pattern had to be subtly adjusted to fit the surface, but the distortions are small enough not to be apparent. Once the piece was designed, I created it using a 3D printer that prints in full color using a plaster-based composite. Hence the colors are inherently part of the object, not applied afterwards