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unicursal pentad knot

Follow the (implied) line with your eye. The line is unicursal, meaning there’s only one line. At first you might be tempted to assume there are five sections, and of course there are, but the radial symmetry is just a property of this particular line.

These are probably the most difficult knots to design because you have to imagine the same numbers of aligning starting and stopping points as you have divisions of a circle. In other words, for a pentagonal rotation like this one, you have to imagine a line which will connect with itself every time you rotate it 72 degrees.

The materials I chose for this are a combination of very fancy and exotic and down-to-earth. My uncle probably had no idea I was going to end up making this when he tore down his old barn. (Thanks for the materials!) The knot itself is padauk, which is so nice I almost hate to use for anything but marimba keys….

This piece was recently on display at RED Gallery as part of an A1 Lab Arts group show.

sketchbook notes and sketches
the finished piece, the moment everything was put together