Minimum Saddle Trefoil
"Minimum Saddle Trefoil" is the result of an intellectual collaboration with sculptor Brent Collins. In a cycle of sculptures, Prof. Séquin and Mr. Collins use the central part of Scherk's second minimal surface, a set of stacked holes and saddle surfaces. This saddle chain is bent into a toroidal loop and closed by merging opposite ends, possibly after the addition of some longitudinal twist.
This particular sculpture resulted from an attempt to create such a totoidal structure with a minimum number of hole/saddle stories without stretching the holes into ellipsoidal openings. The resulting solution has 3 stories and a total twist of 270 degrees, which yields the tightest configuration and gives front-to-back symmetry. The flanges are widened until they almost touch iin the center. The resulting surface is single-sided and the edge frorms a (4,3) torus knot. The size of the piece is approximately 5" across.
Price, $1325 + S&H.