Week 4: Mathematics and the arts introduction -- resources, readings, viewing, activity*

 

Here is the link to our Week 4 resources, readings, viewing and activity (all on one sheet). Hope you enjoy it! 

**Addition: Here is the description of the activity for this week.  I realize that I must not have explained it clearly enough -- so here is my attempt to clarify!

(From this week's sheet:)

"The Bridges Math and Art conference has a gallery of mathematical art each year. The galleries from the 2010 to the 2025 Bridges conferences are linked here. Your task this week is to look at the art works from the Bridges conference assigned to you (see list below), and for each person to choose a different art work to look closely at, understand as deeply as you can, and to try to replicate in some way -- by sketching, building, weaving, sewing, beading or otherwise re-making a replica of the artwork. The aim of the replication is to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between the mathematics and the art -- so you will certainly not be judged on your abilities to make the art, but only on the connections you make between the artwork and the mathematical ideas and patterns!

You will notice that some of the art pieces use mathematics that is accessible and familiar, and others use more esoteric mathematics. Be sure to choose an art piece where you can understand the math fairly clearly! At the same time, try to stretch yourself just a bit beyond the familiar too. The artists' statements will help you see the mathematics (and you can even try emailing the artists to ask them more about their pieces, if you have time)."

(Further clarification, I hope):

This means that, for this week's activity, each person should choose one work of mathematical art from the online Bridges art gallery you have been assigned.  Choose something that appeals to you and seems accessible to you.

Take a look at the image of the art piece and at the artist's statement, which should explain a bit about the mathematics and the artwork. Think about it, and take a try at copying the artwork to get some understanding of it 'from the inside'. Note that I don't expect you to reproduce the piece of art exactly, but just to try making or sketching it in a roughed-in way, with the aim of understanding what it is and how it was designed using mathematics.

That is the activity for this week! 

(For further clarification, please check out the film  New math teachers riff on Kandinsky in Binary,  an account of a group of three teacher candidates doing a similar exercise, with more time and in more depth, in relation to a Bridges 2016 work of art by Marc and Marion Chamberland.)