Encoding-Decoding Constellations 

Work by Rebecca Lin, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, G’27

Our choice of representation shapes what we can create.

By translating between representations, we gain new vocabularies for reasoning and making. In this exhibition, we reinterpret constellation patterns of Islamic art as mathematical graphs and then return them to geometric designs. Through this process, we revisit classical patterns and uncover new expressive forms. 

A collection of mixed-media works, including laser engravings, wood and fabric sculptures, and animated light pieces, explores how mathematical abstraction, computation, and contemporary craft intersect to illuminate the beauty of the source language and reveal a new design vocabulary.

At the core of this work is a method for encoding constellations as graphs and decoding them into interlocking stars using circle packings and classical constructions.

Collaborators: Ben Weiss (MSc Student in MAS, G’27) and Yufeng Zhao (MSc Student in MAS, G’27)