By Daina Taimina
I was lucky to be in Seattle in time to see ART ∩ MATH (
Art intersects Math) at Center on Contemporary Art in Pioneer Square. I went there in the morning and was the only viewer in the gallery to enjoy very well displayed mathematical artworks which all were accompanied with descriptions revealing concepts behind them thus adding an educational component to aesthetic enjoyment of creative ideas and excellent craftsmanship. It happened to be Thursday, and I was invited to return back in the evening because that is when First Thursday Art Walk was happening. I am glad I did - the gallery looked quite different.
People were talking to curators of the exhibit Katherine Cook and Dan Finkel, discussing with each other, exchanging their understanding of mathematical concepts represented.
Several were mesmerized looking at blinking eyes of George Legrady's
Blink 3, 2007, the pattern based on
Ising model, first developed to explain how magnetism of particles depends on their neighboring particles. Each eye blinks depending on a statistical relationship that connects it to its neighbors. The same pattern of blinks never repeats.
Quite different is Suchitra Mattai approach to artistically interpret physics phenomena - on vintage needlepoint designs new threads are introduced to connect science and nature: the colors of the reflected shape in the water suggest white light seperated into components colored wavelengths.
Something from Nothing is Eric and Martin Demaines joke on several levels.They used the sheet music
Nothing from Nothing to create something. The sculpture also uses a hole to evolve into final shape.
Jayadev Athreya demonstrates multiple ways of representing Fermat surface - each view without others is incomplete.
Hamid Yeganeh's computer art is created using trigonometric formulas and it is displayed with formulas. He started creating his art in black and white, now he has added colors to these drawings making them more vivid. I think these drawings would look better without formulas right underneath them but somewhere a little aside. Then the drawing would like this:
or this:
My favorites in the exhibit were two representations of curvature by Claire B. Jones.
Claire B. Jones Catenoid is not mathematically perfect but it demonstrates negative curvature beautifully, color choice is very nice.
Edmund Harriss demonstrates beautiful overlay of two descriptions of the movement: one is mathematical concept of gradient field, the other one is grains of wood, that has collected history of the tree growth.
Tihanyi's sculptures are 3D printed clay sculptures, created by various algorithms.
The clustering of geometric forms in Halloway's painting suggests
quintessence .
Jean Mandeberg represents string figures. These figures are made from a single thread, viewed from opposite sides.
June Sekiguchi's Collapsing Geometry also represents curvature - using flat forms projections on the wall makes these forms look curved.
Savina Mason has found very attractive way how to demonstrate various coordinate systems.
Watching so many people involved with discussing exhibition made me happy to see that art makes mathematics alive. This exhibit clearly was a success.
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