An exhibition of mathematical art at ICMS may not sound like everyones cup of tea but artistry is everywhere and mathematics showcases the pure beauty of the world. Prints, videos and textiles explored mathematical themes – surfaces, networks, connections. Of particular note were Sam Stead‘s etchings of Voronoi diagrams, fibre arts from the ladies of toroidal shark – knitted Klein bottles – and drawings from Radhika.
The exhibition was accompanied by an inspirational lecture from Robert Ghrist, University of Pennsylvania,
Mathematics implicates motions and machines; computations and colorings; the strings and arrows of life. Perhaps the grandest expression of the beauty and power of mathematics is revealed in the quantification and qualification that which is not there: holes. Topology – the mathematics of holes – will be surveyed with a fresh look at the many ways in which topology is used in data management, networks, and optimization.
He gave an overview of the dimensions of abstract space which ranged through the thoughts of antiquity – Homer, Virgil, Dante, Milton, Blake – to those of today, illustrated aptly by a bagel and coffee cup. After the audience understood the basic principles he continued with a look at current applications in data integration, security and sensor networks.