What happens when you spin an artichoke?

What happens when you spin an artichoke along a steady axis? Well, there is an artist named John Edmark who wanted to find out. Check this out.

I’m not even going to pretend to understand fully what is going on here and you shouldn’t either. Just watch and know that this effect comes from using mathematical patterns found in plant forms like pinecones, pineapples, sunflowers and pine trees. John then used this knowledge to create mesmerizing sculptures. The effect is created by spinning the sculptures (made using a 3D printer) with a strobe light and/or videotaped at different frame rates. This is not CGI.

Fibonacci Zoetrope Sculptures from Pier 9 on Vimeo.

More details: http://www.instructables.com/id/Blooming-Zoetrope-Sculptures/