Impossible Pattern is a projection mapped installation, inspired by the captivating world of aperiodic patterns — sequences that never quite repeat. These enigmatic forms have fascinated mathematicians, uncovered hidden aspects of nature, and sparked a puzzle that took over sixty years to solve.

This large-scale, immersive experience is a unique collaboration between projection artist Rebecca Smith of Urban Projections and experts from the University of Leeds: Professor Alastair Rucklidge (Applied Mathematics) and Dr. Merin Joseph. Together, they've explored the beautiful complexity of these patterns, highlighting structures that are both precise and unpredictably organic, echoing patterns in mathematics and the natural world.

Central to this installation is the inspiring story of David Smith, an East Yorkshire hobbyist mathematician, whose discovery of a single, 13-sided shape that tessellates without repeating amazed mathematicians worldwide. Since the 1970s, researchers had been in search of this elusive “Einstein” shape — a breakthrough in pattern theory and a testament to the surprising intersections between art and mathematics.