Sculptural objects

Claim 1

Sculptural objects comprising a plurality of identical geometric solid units each having a plurality of faces of at least two different polygonal shapes and collectively capable of random assembly into close packing spatial arrangements wherein there are no overlapping edges or interstices between abutting units, the mutually opposed similarly configured faces of each unit respectively having first and second magnet means of fixed oppositely oriented magnetic polarity, the magnetic poles of said first magnet means of one unit and the magnetic poles of the second magnet means of another unit being thus cooperable magnetically in selected pairs to join said units together in a predetermined manner and in a close packing arrangement, each said unit being a truncated regular octahedron and said magnet means being bar magnets one located at each polyhedron face, said bar magnets in the polar square polygonal faces having their north and south poles oriented along a circumferential line dividing pairs of opposite sides of said polar square faces, the magnets located in the equatorial square faces having their north and south poles oriented along a line bisecting pairs of opposite angles of said equatorial square faces in a circumferential direction and the magnets located in the hexagonal faces having their north and south poles oriented along lines bisecting pairs of opposite angles of said hexagonal faces and passing through points lying in a circumferential direction parallel to latitudinal circles.