Tessellation, the mathematical art of constructing patterns, dates back to 4000 B.C., when ancient Sumerians discovered the use of clay tiles to decorate their homes and temples.
World Tessellation Day is annually observed on June 17. Tessellation is the art of tiling a plane with geometric shapes that require precise measurements in the form of tiles. This holiday is devoted to appreciating the intriguing art of tessellations and recognising these math-inspired visual artists who are rarely recognised. Today, children can also investigate this art form as a hobby. While it’s all about creativity, it also requires analytical skills, making it an excellent activity for enhancing the left and right brain functions of young children. Discover more about the activities you can participate in to commemorate World Tessellation Day.
Tessellation, the mathematical art of constructing patterns, dates back to 4000 B.C., when ancient Sumerians discovered the use of clay tiles to decorate their homes and temples. It wasn’t long before the subsequent civilizations adopted tessellation in both art and architecture. In their decorative arts, the Arabs, Chinese, Egyptians, Japanese, Romans, Persians, and Moors utilised repeated patterns and geometric designs. In the eighth century of classical antiquity, tessellations became standard for mosaic tiling decorations using tiny square blocks known as ‘tesserae.’
In the 4th century, Muslim Moors in Grenada, Spain, created one of the most renowned examples of tessellation art: the Alhambra, an Islamic tessellation artwork composed of innumerable tiles arranged in geometric patterns that was constructed for the residence and court of Mohammed ibn Yusuf Ben Nasr.
Johannes Kepler conducted the first official examination of tessellated art in 1619. In his book “Harmonice Kundi,” he cited regular and semi-regular geometric patterns that have had a significant impact on contemporary tessellation. Also, he is the first individual to investigate and record the hexagonal characteristics of honeycomb and snowflakes.
In a more advanced investigation published in 1891, the Russian crystallographer Yevgraf Fyodorov demonstrated that every periodic tiling in a plane has one of seventeen isometries. This is the first study to formally recognise tessellation as a mathematical study. Otto Kienzl and Heinrich Heesch in 1964 and Alexei Shubnikov and Nikolain Belov in 1964 investigated this further.
Contemporary artists have introduced a variety of modern permutations, including surreal landscapes, hand-printed patterns, and paper tessellations.
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You can create your own tessellation art design using basic household materials, including tiles and paper designs. Follow YouTube tutorials for DIY projects and let your imagination run wild.
Classes in tessellations are excellent for children with artistic and creative potential. Enrol your child in a local art school and allow them to attend weekend classes to enhance their creative and analytic abilities.
Spend the day experimenting with the most recent tessellation trend: digital art patterns. There are numerous applications for creating tessellations. Save your final product and share it on social media using the hashtag #TessellationDay.
A plane can only be thoroughly tiled by a square, triangle, or hexagon.
The Cube in three dimensions is the only regular polyhedron capable of independently tessellating.
According to scientific evidence, honeycombs, snowflakes, and solidified mud are all geometric.
The three construction categories of tessellations are translation, reflection, and rotation.
M.C. Escher, a Dutch artist, is considered the creator of modern tessellations.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | June 17 | Saturday |
| 2024 | June 17 | Monday |
| 2025 | June 17 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | June 17 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | June 17 | Thursday |
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