I found this week's material to be quite eye-opening as we explored just how closely related science and art truly are.
Until the Henderson reading I have previously not considered how the fourth dimension became realized and the time and consideration it took to land upon an agreed concept and framework in which to define it. The amount of collaboration across artists of many fields to agree and modernize the language, beliefs, and future of art as they knew it took extreme courage. The fourth dimension, as Henderson says, challenges the many long-standing ‘truths’ to which artists functioned, and rethinks their reality as entering new territory.
Flatland, by Edwin A. Abbott, explores the ideas surrounding perspective through the storytelling of geometric shapes living in a two-dimensional world. The limitations set forth by each own’s perspective have an immense impact on their ability to understand and think deeper about the third dimension, resulting in fear and discouragement to explore the unknown. This analogy relates to Henderson’s piece and the overwhelming sense of fear many people experience with the oncoming of change, or something new that shifts their perspective. Taken together, I’ve learned that it requires a combination of math and science to create accurate, modern, and relevant art, while also requiring art to showcase the fascinating new perspectives resulting from high math and science. A great example of this is the high math craft used to create exceptionally intricate and realistic models through artwork.
In the resources for this week I was drawn to the crochet coral reef, a project aimed to emulate and bring awareness to the intricate and time-consuming work performed in nature that is currently being threatened by climate change. Here, the artists imitate the natural hyperbolic shapes created by living organisms as a way to incorporate the most accurate depiction of true coral, while also challenging the mathematical perspective of hyperbolic shapes. This particular art claims that in making mathematical structures you are doing mathematics, just as is done in nature, and further highlights the necessity of math to produce art.
The juxtaposition of art, math, and science are quite intertwined. Math itself is an art form, and science and the natural world display organic examples of mathematics and artistic displays all around us. The observer requires a perspective willing to accept the merging of three disciplines as one.
Sources:
Abbott, Edwin A. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. New York: Dover Publications, 1884.
ART+COM Studios. https://artcom.de/en/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.
Center, Art|Sci. DESMA 9 Week 2 Featuring Kate McKinnon. 2021. Vimeo, https://vimeo.com/533410774.
“CONTEMPORARY GEOMETRIC BEADWORK.” CONTEMPORARY GEOMETRIC BEADWORK, https://beadmobile.wordpress.com/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.
Crochet Coral Reef. https://crochetcoralreef.org/about/theproject/. Accessed 7 Apr. 2022.
Frantz, Marc. Lesson 3: Vanishing Points and Looking at Art. p. 11.
Henderson, Linda Dalrymple. “The Fourth Dimension and Non-Euclidean Geometry in Modern Art: Conclusion.” Leonardo, vol. 17, no. 3, 1984, pp. 205–10. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1575193.
“Visualizing the Fourth Dimension.” Research Blog, 26 Apr. 2017, https://researchblog.duke.edu/2017/04/26/visualizing-the-fourth-dimension/.
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI like your post a lot and how it shows us that the creations we make require maths to make sometimes! Do you think that there are any maths that must involve creativity to show the double edged sword of sorts?
Hey Lauren!
ReplyDeleteI also thought the crochet coral reef project was very fascinating. I love that the project had a positive purpose by bringing attention to how climate change is a massive risk to nature. As well, it was a great example of how math is used to create art!
-Sam
Hi Lauren! I thought your description about the juxtaposition between science, art, and math was beautifully written! When I was thinking about the relation between art, science, and math, I thought that math was just a tool used in art and science. To say that mathematics in itself is an art form and that science is an organic display of math makes the connection between the three subjects feel much more personal. I also loved your analogy between Flatland and Henderson's article, where you mentioned how people often experience fear when exploring the unknown. Luckily, some people are able to turn this fear into curiosity, and this will to learn more about the unknown has driven artists to create and explore new styles based on new ideas.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I did not write about it in my blog post this week, I also took a look at the coral reef project and found it very interesting and fascinating. I thought it was a very unique example of the mix between art and mathematics and it also stood out in regards to how the art served the specific purpose of bringing awareness to a rising societal issue.
ReplyDelete