Week 2: Math + Art & Robotics + Art

In this week’s lecture on the intersection of Math and Art, we are exposed to the link between the applications of Mathematics and its deep, albeit mutually beneficial influence on the two cultures of Art and Science. It is fascinating to see that behind every drawing, which seems to have derived from pure aesthetic talent, is rather a mental calculation of space and distance and that without the functions of mathematics, it is nearly impossible to produce a realistic representation of art.

As introduced in the works of Brunellesci, perspectives and vantage points are vital in its ability to create static images that are ultimately seen by the human eye to be felt aesthetically pleasing. The importance of perspective is satirized in Edwin A. Abbott’s Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. In the world of Flatland, where everything is occupied by geometric figures in a purely two-dimensional setting, everyone and everything is viewed as a straight line; the only way to distinguish and recognize one another is through perspectives and vantage points that differentiate between distance and reflection of light and size.

In these two works of art, we can see the crucial role perspectives and vantage points play in the interpretation of artworks. In Picasso's Guernica, colors are drained and there is no space and perspective. This causes the work of art to be less a classical composition, but more a fast-moving kaleidoscope of child-like images. To the contrary, in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, the real distant landscape allows us to understand juxtaposition and spacing.

One of the biggest and most common examples of the intersection between mathematics and art is origami. Physicist Jun Maekawa has published some fundamental theorems that popularize the method of using crease patterns in designing origami models of surprising elegance. Through mathematical analysis, Maekawa was able to explain theorems on the foldability of origami models. Although origami is generally considered and practiced in a light manner by children, beneath all the amusement and enjoyment is the technical algorithm that allows us to experiment and invent new models of complexity.

Works of origami by Physicist Jun Maekawa

In mathematics, two quantities are in the “golden ratio” when their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities.  This property has fascinated Western intellectuals of diverse interests for over 2000 years. While ancient Greek mathematicians have spent endless hours over this simple ratio because of its frequent appearance in geometry, the fascination of the Golden Ratio is not confined solely to mathematicians, as artists have historically pondered the basis of its ubiquity and appeal of harmonious proportions.

A famous example of the Golden Ratio’s application to art is Piet Mondrian’s “Composition with Gray and Light Brown.”  Mondrian chose to distill his representations of the world to their basic vertical and horizontal elements, which he believed represented the two essential opposing forces: the positive and the negative, the dynamic and the static, the masculine and the feminine. Mondrian once said, “I wish to approach truth as closely as possible, and therefore I abstract everything until I arrive at the fundamental quality of objects,” and as can be seen in his 1918 painting, the Golden Ratio allowed him to abstract reality to approach his perception of truth.

Composition with Gray and Light Brown by Piet Mondrian

Another remarkable aspect of the golden ratio is how omnipresent it is in our universe. The link below captures 15 uncanny examples of the golden ratio found in nature.

http://io9.com/5985588/15-uncanny-examples-of-the-golden-ratio-in-nature

In the lecture on Robotics + Art, we see once again that Art can be applied in other disciplines, otherwise regarded to be wholly irrelevant to Art itself. Professor Vesna raised many questions that piqued my interests in how Robotics and Art can possibly come together. How do artists use mechanization in their worlds? How are artists influenced by robotics?

Some of the earliest and pioneering examples of science and technology merging with art trace back to the invention of the printing press and the movable type. Not only did these inventions make life easier, but they also opened up the possibilities and avenues for future developments that will come to unite art and science in unprecedented ways.

We are introduced to the transformation and revolution of art in the lens of what Walter Benjamin believes is to be the age of Mechanical Reproduction. According to Benjamin, “one of the foremost tasks of art has always been the creation of demand which could be fully satisfied only later.” Based on his ideologies, history has essentially taught us that "art aspires to effects which could be fully obtained only with a changed technical standard"—a new art form. And Benjamin sees the first step to reaching this new standard beginning with the act of outraging the public.

A contemporary example of artists making works of art the center of scandal is Dirk, the homeless robot, created by Electric Circus, as picture below. Not only is mathematics necessary and crucial in the construction and creation of the free-moving robot, but the science is also an important part of the animatronics that allows for the art to create its alluring appearance and memorable street performances that altogether invite the spectators to contemplation.

Dirk, the Homeless Robot by Electric Circus

Additionally, over the last 15 years, art and technology have come together at the studio of Dr. Mari Velonaki. Velonaki and her team created the Diamandini installation at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, not only for the purpose of building interesting robotic machines, but also and mainly to gather data on how visitors interacted with the unconventional work of art. Through this installation, we are able to learn how robots can make emotional connections to engage humans; this engagement is astonishing in the context of an art exhibition, where visitors typically only spend a few minutes before moving on.

Diamandini installation at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London

Created by Dr. Mari Velonaki

Only through the integration of math, art, science, and technology can we produce favorable solutions to our daily problems. Just as Art and Science must not act as separate disciplines but instead work together to create satisfying results, so must math, art, science, and technology not diverge from each other. Instead, all four studies should work together and build off of each fields’ discoveries to produce harmonious advancements.

Works Cited

Hull, Thomas. "Origami Mathematics." Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2014. <http://mars.wne.edu/~thull/origamimath.html>.

Abbott, Edwin Abbott. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1963. 1-69. Print.

"DIRK." Dirk. Electric Circus, n.d. Web. 01 July 2014. <http://www.electric-circus.eu/htmlenglish/dirk.html>.

Dvorsky, George. "15 Uncanny Examples of the Golden Ratio in Nature."Io9. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 July 2014. <http://io9.com/5985588/15-uncanny-examples-of-the-golden-ratio-in-nature>.

Lim, Angelica. "What Roboticists Can Learn From Art, and What Artists Can Learn From Robots." IEEE Spectrum. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2014. <http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/diy/what-roboticists-can-learn-from-art>.

Mondrian, Piet. Composition With Gray and Light Brown. 1918. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA. WikiArt. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. <http://www.wikiart.org/en/piet-mondrian/composition-with-gray-and-light-brown-1918>.

Works by Jun Maekawa. Digital image. Papercrane. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 July 2014. <http://www.papercrane.org/index/Convention/76>.

Vinci, Leonardo Da. The Last Supper. N.d. Daily Mail. Web. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1259247/BRIAN-SEWELL-Ten-greatest-painters-changed-world-art.html>.

Picasso, Pablo. Guernica. 1937. Daily Mail. Web. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1259247/BRIAN-SEWELL-Ten-greatest-painters-changed-world-art.html>.