Exploring the connection between math and art
Just imagine listening to a piece of 13th-century music that draws its beauty from having the same mathematical proportions as the Biblical temple of King Solomon.
How about attending a creative writing workshop on telling exciting short stories by using mathematical techniques?
Or taking your kids to build a giant geometric sculpture that’s promised to be “projected from 15 dimensions” — not the four that most of us think we live in.
Even those of us “artsy” types, who think we don’t like math, will be intrigued.
And if we are, it spells success for an international conference exploring the many connections between mathematics and art that is coming to University of Waterloo for the next few days.
It’s a meeting of minds dedicated to the idea that mathematics and art, far from being polar opposites, can actually inform and enrich one another
The Bridges Organization conference — details at http://bridgesmathart.org — will bring together more than 300 mathematicians, scientists, artists, educators, model-builders and others from all over the world. It includes several events that are open to the public.
The interdisciplinary nature of the conference is a huge draw for many of its participants.
“I come back every year looking for a fresh dose to come away energized and excited to try all kinds of new things,” said Craig Kaplan, the chair of this year’s conference.
He’s a computer science professor at University of Waterloo, who has a passionate research interest in Islamic art, which is strongly based in geometric design.
“I fell in love with them when I first learned about them.”
At this week’s conference, Kaplan will present his research into a technique of creating sculptures inspired by Islamic star patterns. The method builds on the work of Dutch sculptor Rinus Roelofs, who pioneered a way to create three-dimensional sculptures using two layers that weave over and under each other.
That’s the kind of thing that will be discussed. And it’s not only a matter of putting math into art.
On other levels, “art pushes math, too,” Kaplan says.
The best part of living in the same community as a great university is the access that ordinary people can enjoy to some of these ideas. If you can, consider attending these mind-expanding, free events while the conference is on.
Art Exhibit
Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
University of Waterloo Art Gallery, East Campus Hall
A visually arresting collection of works by artists like Soheila Esfahani, Patrick Cull, Andrew James Smith and others, which explore geometry, pattern and optical effects. There is an opening reception on Friday at 5 p.m.
Formal Music Night
Saturday, July 29, 8 to 9:30 p.m. Humanities Theatre, University of Waterloo
Free, but tickets must be reserved in advance at a link on the website
This concert is entitled “The Dazzled Eye Lost its Speech.” It features a vocal ensemble performing music spanning seven centuries. Included is Guillaume DuFay’s motet “Nuper rosarum flores,” which has the same mathematical proportions as the Biblical Temple of King Solomon.
Family Day
Sunday, July 30, 2 to 6 p.m. Davis Centre Atrium, University of Waterloo
Build Persian patterned polyhedra, craft a short story using vector theory, and watch math-inspired films, among other activities.