Materials and Process

• My shoes (as stamps)
• Charcoal
• Paper

1. First, I rubbed charcoal on the soles of my shoes.
2. Then I carefully walked on my tiptoes across a sheet of paper to create the pattern.

Artist's Narrative

I used the idea of walking as an example of an infinitely repeating pattern and to demonstrate glide reflection. The idea of infinity in this pattern has to do with the potential of being able to walk forever.

Teacher's Comment

As we walk, we may not be aware that we are creating a glide reflection. The footprints we leave behind as impressions in mud or sand express not only a linear pattern of symmetry, but they also are imprints of time and motion through space. If you allow yourself to think about patterns in this way, all symmetries of space represented in the visual arts are in a sense narratives of their processes of formation through time and motion. One may carry such large thoughts further to comprehend patterns in nature, which are also ultimately based upon movement through time and space.