Week 2 Blog Post

An example of the two-dimensional
town. Via Abbott
The distinction between arts, sciences, and mathematics has been established within American society since the earliest introduction of education. Through subject titles themselves, children are innately taught that there is no intersection between disciplines. In Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott, the author explores shape and dimension through a fictional story. The plot line describes a two-dimensional world in which people and the hierarchy of society is determined by its shape. The story itself explores the ideas of the structure of society, but also how we as a community can attribute characteristics and behaviors to anything so long as it is in context (Abbott). In relation to this class, this story is interesting to explore in a few ways: 1) the use of geometry in art, the book itself and 2) its commentary on how we attribute stereotypes.

My first introduction to the combination of art and math was in the 8th grade. My teacher had us design quilt squares using geometric measurements to create a pattern and design. Similarly this intersection is seen in true artists like Hamid Naderi Yeganeh, who uses algorithms and geometric shapes to create computer installations. Yeganeh alters and adjusts his formulas to create better shapes, but for the most part leaves the computer to be responsible for the final product (MacDonald).
"A Bird in Flight" Via Lauren Young 
Via Alex Pedersen















As seen through Yeganeh's work and Abbott's novel, there can and is a space for both math and art to coincide. I think that although it is not stereotypically presented the two disciplines go hand in hand. While math is a discipline of logic, art is one of expression and so in my mind in many spaces the two can work well together.


References:

“Flatland A Romance of Many Dimensions.” Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, www.geom.uiuc.edu/~banchoff/Flatland/.

MacDonald, Fiona. “7 Times Mathematics Became Art And Blew Our Minds.” ScienceAlert, 19 Feb. 2016, www.sciencealert.com/7-times-mathematics-became-art-and-blew-our-minds.

Pedersen, Alex. “CREATORS – Hamid Naderi Yeganeh.” Art the Science Blog, 18 May 2016, artthescience.com/blog/2016/05/18/creators-hamid-naderi-yeganeh/.

Young, Lauren J. “Math Is Beautiful.” Science Friday, www.sciencefriday.com/articles/math-is-beautiful/.

Comments

  1. blayne martinezApril 17, 2019 at 4:19 PM

    I like your point in regards to children being taught that there is no intersection in disciplines. I agree that math and art can go hand and hand with eachother.

    ReplyDelete

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