tensegrity
Slate presents a twelve page slideshow about the mathematical art of Kenneth Snelson:
. . . Snelson is an unusual artist. Not only has he inspired a new field of engineering and a new understanding of cellular biology, his elegant sculptures are themselves scientific wonders. Their shiny metal rods, held together by networks of tensed aluminum wires, climb into the air at improbable angles, with an apparent disregard for gravity.[slate]