Triacontahedrons

Three Dimensional Sculptures using Kiln-Fused Glass Panels based on the 30-Sided Triacontahedron Geometric Form

Creating a single golden rhombus in fused glass is virtuous. But successfully joining thirty glass rhombus in a spherical rhombic triacontahedron is transcendent. The individual glass facets join together with an embedded copper wire network to form a unique glass vessel that encompasses space, color, light, movement, texture, transparency, reflection, and radiance in a whole greater than its parts.

Blue-Green Triacontahedron

Glass sculpture comprising a 30-sided geometric figure called a triacontahedron. It is composed of 30 golden-rhombus fused glass panels. The panels are joined together with embedded stainless steel wire. The wire junctions are covered with 72 flame-worked glass beads (60 blue beads and 12 green beads). The green beads are at the vertices of an icosahedron.

Red-Orange Triacontahedron

This glass sculpture is similar to the Blue-Green triacon above, however there are no glass beads covering the wire joints. The embedded wire used to join the 30 fused glass panels is copper which allowed the twisted wire joints to be soldered. The copper wire becomes evident as dark lines and circles when heated in the kiln. To spice things up, dichromatic film pieces are also embedded in the glass creating a shimmering effect of various colors.

Why a Triacontahedron?

The number of faces in a triacontahedron equal thirty (30) making it a highly symmetrical spherical geometry and symmetry is very pleasing to me as an aesthetic goal.

The Influence of R. Buckminster Fuller

I met the great architect and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller while studying architecture in college. Bucky inspired me to explore spherical geometries. The triacontahedron is featured in his Synergetic Geometry books and designs.

Several of my designs in the fields of architecture, computer science and digital art have been influenced by Bucky and his Synergetic Geometry discoveries and inventions. I experience great joy in the creation of kiln-formed glass objects that instantiate the properties of Synergetic Geometry. It is one thing to read about or visualize the beauty of these forms, however actually bringing these visions into reality brings the experience to another level.

The Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu

I am a Buddhist that does meditation regularly. I have found that meditation and contemplation using these triacontahedron glass art objects enables me to witness symmetry, beauty and truth beyond self directly.

My curiosity drove me to seek out the number thirty (30) in Buddhist teachings. I performed this search because of my fascination with the triacontahedron which has 30 faces. Turns out that there are very few Buddhist teachings that include the number thirty (30). I know this because I have searched extensively.

I was quite thrilled to eventually find The Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu translated by Thich Nhat Hanh online.

Vasubandhu was the author of a wonderful, short document which we refer to as The Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu (Tri sikavijñaptikarika ). A version of this document which is translated by the famous modern-day Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh can be found at the Plum Village Online Monastery website (http://pvom.org) founded by Thich Nhat Hanh.