For centuries, mathematics has influenced artists and their work. This exhibition examines a variety of ways in which mathematical and artistic principles interconnect, from geometry to tiling and group theory. Works of art that demonstrate these principles will be on display, as well as interactive elements allowing visitors to create their own artworks.
IVS Course Exhibition
April 16-May 2
Students enrolled in this course explored the interplay of visual art and mathematics. Artists use mathematics as a tool and as inspiration. Mathematicians use visual methods as a compelling way to communicate mathematical ideas. This class will examined the overlap of the two disciplines from multiple perspectives.
IVS Colloquia (Wednesdays at 12):
February 20- Katie Quertermous (Mathematics and Statistics)
Crocheting a Plane: Using Physical Models to Visualize Hyperbolic Geometry
Dr. Quertermous will discuss how paper and crochet models can be used to visualize hyperbolic geometry. In her presentation, she will explore some of the basic properties of hyperbolic geometry and the connections between mathematics, biology, and art that these models reveal.
March 20- Laura Taalman (Mathematics and Statistics)
Spiral Knots: Patterns, Invariants, and Exploratory Mathematics
Dr. Taalman will discuss knot theory from an intuitive perspective, leading up to recent work with undergraduates on properties of "spiral knots" that have a regular repeating pattern. The structure in these knots gives rise to curiously interconnected patterns and an open-ended journey of mathematical exploration, trial and error, luck, computers, and coincidence.
April 17- Maureen Shanahan (Art History)
Modernist Robots and Post-modern Realities
Professor Shanahan will discuss some utopian and dystopian visions of robots, automatons and cyborgs. Some scientists now claim that within 25 to 50 years, autonomous, thinking, feeling robots will exist and that human immortality will be possible. Her talk will address how early twentieth-century manifestations of robots can help us understand such contemporary desires, fantasies and possible realities.
Special Event
April 15- Dr. Linda Henderson (Art History, UT Austin)
3:45-5:00, Burruss 236
The Fourth Dimension in Modern Art: A View from the 21st Century
Dr. Henderson's lecture explores the differing approaches to signifying higher spatial dimensions among early 20th-century artists, ranging from the Cubism of Pablo Picasso and the Large Glass project of Marcel Duchamp to the Suprematism of Kazimir Malevich, and much more. This event is co-sponsored by the Institute for Visual Studies and Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
