Tetrahedron-tetrahedron Interpenetration

Tetrahedron-Tetrahedron Interpenetration is a 1993 fiberglass sculpture by cultural medallion winner Han Sai Por. Standing at 184 cm tall, it is taller than most people and 62 by 62 cm around.

The touch adaptation of this work is a scale replica standing at 96 cm tall, about half the height of the original. The sculpture is so named because it is composed entirely of white tetrahedrons joined at the edges to form a tall geometric structure reminiscent of origami. Tetrahedrons are geometric forms with four triangular sides, forming a triangle-based pyramid shape.

From the ground, a pattern of tetrahedrons repeats upwards, six tetrahedrons tall, to form a dramatically undulating structure that has different silhouettes at different angles. From one angle, the outline of the structure is a dramatic zigzag on both sides, but turn it 90 degrees and the outline of the structure is much straighter, almost rectangular. The pattern creates areas of empty space in the shape of diamond-based pyramids with the tip of the pyramid in the centre of the structure, like the open beak of a cartoon bird. Dramatic shadows are cast inside these spaces by the tetrahedrons themselves. In combination with the fact that each tetrahedron is joined to each other simply by the edges rather than flat sides, all these elements lend the work a sense of hollowness and fragility, as if it were folded from paper. Although the structure appears smooth from afar, its surface is actually full of tiny ridges and dents.

While Han is primarily known for her stone sculptures of organic forms, some of which you may have encountered outside the Esplanade and National Museum, or inside Terminal 3 of Changi Airport, Tetrahedron-Tetrahedron Interpenetration is part of a series titled Four Dimensions, wherein Han explores logical, mathematical progressions of geometric forms.

In preparation for this series, Han explored the tetrahedron shape with a maquette that she calls Pyramid. A maquette is a small, preliminary model created by a sculptor before beginning a larger project, the way a painter might create a sketch before a painting. The maquette, Pyramid, is sculpted from wood to look like it was assembled from many uniform cubes set at an angle to form a pyramid with a triangular base. In other words, a tetrahedron. The four sides of Pyramid are painted in red, green, blue, and black. These colours were part of Han's experimental preparation for her larger works, and she ultimately decided to sculpt her four-dimension series in white.