A monthly series of maths-art seminars is held at the London Knowledge Lab in central London [see map]. For 2010-2011 seminars will take place on the second Thursday (evening) of each month during term times (NB change from previous years). The idea for these grew out of our work in hosting the annual international Bridges Conference in London in August 2006.

We propose these seminars as explorations of the connections between "mathematics" and "art", where both terms are understood broadly: art implies visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture, computer graphics, video), architecture, music, textile art, literature/poetry (and others), and mathematics implies both mathematics as a discipline and the related disciplines in science and engineering for which mathematics is an essential means of expression and communication.

To receive email announcements about events, subscribe to the mailing list at:
www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/lkl-maths-art

The seminars are organised by John Sharp and Phillip Kent (both visiting fellows at LKL). We welcome your suggestions about speakers or topics for future seminars.

Next seminars

Poster

Poster

Past seminars

pre-2007

8 June 2005: Mike Field (University of Houston) - Illuminating Chaos [see website: Images of Chaos and Symmetry by Mike Field]

16 March 2006: John Sharp (London Knowledge Lab) - Exploring, learning and creating: Creativity across mathematics and art [ view video recording of seminar>>]. Bonus video: Sliceforms: An interview with John Sharp (31 March 2006)

2007

9 January 2007: Justin Mullins - Mathematical photography - Images from another world [www.justinmullins.com]

13 February 2007: David Singmaster - The Three Rabbits: The  History of a mathematical puzzle pattern from c 600 to the present [ view video recording of seminar>>]

13 March 2007: Brady Peters and Xavier De Kestelier (Foster and Partners) - Digital design and generative geometry in architecture: The work of Foster and Partners’ specialist modelling group .
Seminar Poster. And see their article about Fosters' SMG in PLUS Magazine, March 2007.

17 April 2007: Gary Woodley, Slade School of Art, University College London, "3-D Drawing: Modelling and Projection"
Seminar Poster .

8 May 2007: Edmund Harriss, Mathematics Department, Imperial College, "Aspects of the Penrose tiling"
Seminar Poster.

12 June 2007: Tony Wills (Wills Watson + Associates) and John Sharp (London Knowledge Lab), “Developable surfaces and D-Forms”
Seminar Poster.

11 September 2007: Natalie Dower, "Rules: Convention, science and mathematics in a search for visual language". Seminar Poster.

9 October 2007: Brock Craft (London Knowledge Lab), "Computer generated art using context-free grammars". Seminar Poster.

13 November 2007: Susan Tebby, "The Imaginative Transformation of Space and Place: Art and mathematics from studio to built environment and back again" Seminar Poster.

11 December 2007: Meurig Beynon (University of Warwick), Making music, making mathematics, and making meaning.
Seminar Poster.

2008

8 January 2008 : DISCUSSION EVENT - Mystery and Wonder, Play and Discovery: Mathematics and Art as Creative Activities. Poster

12 February 2008: Simon Schofield, Experiments in Digital Surface Generation: Stochastic methods of making interesting and beautiful textures. Poster

14 February 2008: LKL special event, ZOME: FROM LIVE-IN SCULPTURE TO A LANGUAGE FOR UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE OF SPACE

11 March 2008: Cameron Browne, Truchet curves and surfaces. Poster

8 April 2008: Penelope Woolfitt, The Geometry of Asian Trousers. Poster

13 May 2008: Chris Gough, Chance and Colour, Rules and Rulers. Poster

10 June 2008: Brian Wichmann, How to Find a Tiling Pattern. Poster

9 September 2008: Louise Mabbs, My mathematical progression: Sequences & series. Poster

14 October 2008: Raymond Brownell, Of Mind and Eye - Combinations on Canvas. Poster

4 November 2008: Special joint meeting with the Computer Arts Society. 'RULES: algorithms | structures | intuition'. 2.30 - 5.00pm Lectures &  6.00 - 7.30pm Live Coding performance and talk by slub. Meeting Programme.

9 December 2008: Daniel Piker, Intuitive Geometry. Poster

12 December 2008: Special seminar - Anamorphic art: A technical & demonstrations seminar, complementing the Study Day - Curious Perspective: Anamorphosis in Art held at the National Gallery on 13 December . Poster ; Programme

2009

13 January 2009: Ernest Edmonds (University of Technology, Sydney), 'The Art of Logic'. Poster

10 February 2009: Roy Osborne, 'Directing the Viewer's Attention'. Poster

10 March 2009: Tom Wilkinson, 'Energy – A source of Inspiration'. Poster

12 May 2009: Clive Head and Michael Paraskos, 'Can Science Save Art? Moves Towards a Wider Mathematics of Art'. Poster

9 June 2009: Alan Sutcliffe, 'Doyle Spiral Circle Packings'. Poster

13 October 2009: Richard Henry, 'Practical Geometry and the Language of Symmetry in Islamic Art'  Poster.

10 November 2009: Bálint Bolygó [www.balintbolygo.com], 'Tracing, motion and harmony'.
8 December 2009: Patricia Wackrill, 'Bubbles in Beijing: The story behind the Watercube Aquatics Centre'. Poster

2010

9 February 2010: Gregory Epps, 'Curved folding from craft to Robofold®: Curved folding in sheet metal'. Poster

9 March 2010: 'Circles: Packings and Mirrors', Alan Sutcliffe on circle packing, John Sharp on inversion mirrors. Poster

13 April 2010: Kate Mackrell, 'Dynamic Geometry and Dynamic Art'. Poster. (Some dynamic geometry/art examples).

11 May 2010: Paul Prudence, 'Computation and Feedback: Sonified generative artwork' . Poster
8 June 2010: Linda Karshan, 'Measure without measure: The art of Linda Karshan'.  Poster

Website last updated: 2 September 2010 by Phillip Kent