Animations for Maths and Art Project

Here are some animations I made for our maths and art project using Groboto.

Overview

Overall, I didn't feel as though i learnt much from this paper. It seemed as though every lesson was an overview of basic mathematics with a hint of design to it. I felt as though the classes could have been a lot more informative. I attended every class and none of them really surprised me. It seemed as though the tasks being set were not thought through enough. A lot of the exercises I did through the class I didn't feel even needed documenting because they were so mundane and simple. I didn't try my very best to keep track of blogging and documentation however I found that at times there was quite simply nothing to write about.

In the end, after completing both my literature review and applied project I felt as though it had no influence from anything that we were taught in class, and this was a disappointing to me. I think that many of us in the class already had a firm idea of how mathematics and art are linked together.

Designing THINGS

Today in class we focused mainly on how to design and develop brief for particular projects. The very first concept that we had to explore was a backpack for everyday university use. Before we started to  draw anything we jotted down ideas of what the backpack should hold inside it. These objects included our lunch, laptop, cords, drink, raincoat, books and a few others. We grouped these into categories that defined where they would sit in the back, for example, you would not want to have the drink bottle and laptop close together as the laptop might get wet. By doing this, it really helped us establish how our bag would look like. I liked this exercise because for me it is always hard to find a starting point for a design. By writing down these details it gave me an idea about how I should go about drawing the bag. Andy went on to say that when designing things, we should use knowledge of what we already know. It is always to weigh up the pros and cons of new ideas to test their suitability.

We were also asked to design some kind of emergency housing. This was an extremely relevant topic to discus as all around the world we have been experiencing disasters such as in Japan where thousands of people are without an homes. Houses have to be transportable and have appropriate conditions for an entire family. Once again, we summed up what we thing should be in a house. Eg, lighting, power, bed, toilet, shower etc etc. However I thought a major problem was that some families are extremely large. Thus making a larger facility harder to transport. To avoid this problem, I thought it would be a good idea to develop a house that could break apart. Talking about this subject reminded me of a topic that we discussed in our Intro to Creative tech paper. It made me think about 'container houses' that use shipping containers to shelter people. These in fact work extremely well and are cheap and affordable. There is already infrastructure around these containers as they are frequently loaded on and off vessels to transport overseas.

Lastly we talked about changing the English alphabet into something that is more understandable. Im sure many of us would agree that some of the English language is questionable. Andy talked about the use of C and K. Do we really need both?  Do they simply just complicate the language? We noted down each letter of the alphabet and made decisions as to which letters and combinations actually needed to exist. It made me think about the i before e except after c rule. For so long I have been confused about this rule. Because half the words in the dictionary don't follow this rule at all. I think that it is of no importance at all. All it does is create unnecessary grammatical errors.

Today in class we first started to talk about flow charts. After a brief discussion with Andy I soon remembered that I too had used this kind of format when I was doing programming in engineering, we would always start off with seudu code which would help is structure our programs. I also remembered these from when I was in school. After a few more examples I realized that flowcharts can be used for almost any task that  needs executing. Its just a method of organisation. We then moved on to graphs. We talked about how they can be used to represent data. However, we also talked about how they can be used to intentionally mislead people. For example, a bar graph in a 3D view can be rather deceiving. A smaller bar can be made to look 'fatter' and on first glace it looks more prominent than the other taller bar. After this we talked about sequences and relations, which was translated to mean a set of ordered pairs. All throughout my history of mathematics I have always struggled to find patterns in maths. I may be fairly good at maths but when it comes to these kinds of problems I am horrible. Probably because I am a very visual learner. And numbers just don't supply any visual value for me. Andy told us to try and draw the patterns in different ways. I thought this would help but to no avail. Even still I gave me new perspective as to how I can view problems rather than just stopping when I hit a dead end.

We also were given isometric paper for us to draw on. I've done 4 years of graphics so this was nothing new to me as i don't really have issues visualizing 3D objects. The last exercise that we did was to try and fit 11 squares within a single square. I don't know why but I really had trouble with this, (although I only made 2 attempts). After Andy revealed the solutions I really felt stupid. It was really easy I just didnt think about my approach. I should have thought of the solution as 5+5+1 = 11. Make 1 big square and the rest smaller. Overall, once again I did not feel as though I benefited much from this lecture. I want to be doing more exciting things that have more relevance to me.

Today with Andy we talked more on the subject of paper and the golden ratio, although the ratio was not exactly golden, it was however still convenient for its packaging. The Sizing is dictated by the squareroot of 2. You can fold forever and it will still be the same ratio of paper. Andy used an example of this by displaying a news paper and how that is folded over and over to represent the same ratio. It made me much more aware of the importance of packaging. I never really stopped to think about why paper is shaped the way it is.


We then began to design labels for a specific drink. I chose to lighten my mood by having a bit of a play. We talked about the necessities of what we expect to see on a bottle. But more importantly what does it need to have. For example, ingredients, label, alcohol content, brand, bar codes etc etc. It made me realize that there are many fine aspects to many designs that we never take into account.

We also dabbled with a few ideas for business cards. Andy told a story about a business card he was given by someone in japan that made him realize that appearance isn't always the main thing to focus on. He realized that the material itself is also an aspect of the design. People often write on business cards, so it would be wise to consider making the card out of cardboard and not plastic for example. Other aspects to conciser are font. We always must consider what we want to convey to the viewer.

Another interesting fact we discussed was how books were produced. Instead of having the traditional double page layout. We folded paper and record the page numbers as we folded them. By doing this we could easily mass produce books much more efficiently. It was a very interesting design strategy that I have never thought of before. Not only did we talk about folding, but we also talked about other aspects of books that need to be taken into consideration, eg, how using columns and spacing make books easier to read. This made me realize that packaging is not just an exterior concept, it also effects the interior of our designs.

GROBOTO

Amazing maths and art program.

Flag, Coat of Arms, Business Card

We were asked to design a new flag for NZ, a business card, and a coat of arms. Both the flag and coat of arms had to convey a message as to who we as New Zealander's represent as a country. People have long felt that our flag and coat of arms are outdated and are in dire need of an upgrade. In my flag design, I decided that we must have the inclusion of both Maori and British symbols as they are vital to understanding where we came from. I used the imagery of Coru's which are a popular symbol to Maori interlinking with each other to resemble unity within our country. Not only that but I also included the fern as it represents our country as clean and green, full of nature and greenery. I also chose to lay these out in a way that the image looked like the union jack. This along with the white  blue and red I feel show the connection with royalty and colonization. It is just a rough sketch that I made in illustrator of course.

In my design of the coat of arms I once again wanted to highlight the fact that we were once upon a time, colonized by the British. Much like the flag I also wanted to include elements of Maori culture which is why I placed green stone within the imagery. The greenstone is also only found in NZ just like the fern. Together the green within the image also conveys the idea of our country as clean and green.

And last but not least is my business card, advertising my imaginary company "Little Big Ideas." I am very familiar with photoshop so I thought I would try and push an interesting idea ahead and try and make it. Since the company advertises creative thinking I felt as though the image of a brain was perfectly fitting.

Patterns and Symmetry

In this lecture we were introduced to the relation of geometry and art with the inclusion of patterns and symmetry. One of the exercises was to find the symmetry in all the capital letters of the alphabet. Once again, im not sure what relevance this has in expanding our knowledge of maths and art. Symmetry is a concept we have played around with our entire lives. I did not see why we would have to spend 15 minutes sifting through which letters were symmetrical or not. Obviously some were and some weren't. We explored a whole range of different works of art that revolved around the simple idea of symmetry. For example, the Kaleidoscope. Which works on the reflection of mirrors inside a tube to create amazing and randomized images of color. Jenna actually went home and made herself one using an empty toilet roll and shards of a broken CD case to make a really amazing prototype. We also see these patterns a lot in our everyday lives that we do not realize, whether it be the tiling on the floor of the bathroom or Maori symbols.

Another task was for me to go out and investigate a few modern artists and try and point out the mathematics embedded in their work.
For example here in Yaacov Aga's artwork we can see what resembles folded paper of some kind (in my eyes) with colors over the top of the folds in the surface. Usually, we see colors and shading on sides/surfaces which give an object its 3d appearance, however Yaacov Aga's work has the colors and patterns placed over the tiles in a way that contradicts the 3d nature of the pictures. This is a clear sign that mathematics has been used to have an impact on the audience.

Another artists I investigated was Ellsworth Kelly, in google images I found a piece of art that resembled an exercise that we did in programming not too long ago where we had to randomize a grid of colored squared exactly how she has done on this canvas. She has used randomization as a concept in this artwork. And randomization is an extremely important factor in the world of mathematics. To me it is amazing to see how something with complete chaos and randomness can have such an appealing look to it.

For the last task I thought it would be a neat idea to tessellate hexagons much like the beehive (yet another object of art and mathematics). It would start with small hexagons all multicolored, which would tessellate together to make a bigger hexagon etc. In other words, the overall picture looks extremely simple like a beehive but as you look closer you realize the true complexity of the design. 

Nets

I really didn't quite know what to make out of this lecture from Andy. We spent most of the day simply drawing nets and drawing different faces of 3d cube like objects. I have done this all too many times before having done graphics for 2 years in school. I pushed on however, grit my teeth and tried to pay attention in class. One of the activities was to make a net for a cube, once again, this did not interest me in the slightest. I am not even sure what to write about in this blog post because nothing really stood out for me. We were given a handout sheet where we were supposed make 2 polyhedra objects and join them together to make a pyramid. The only problem with this was that the sheet did not even mention the dimensions and the ones noted down on the white board we were told the next day were wrong (which explained why mine didnt quite fit together as expected)

M.C Escher

Today I found a very interesting book today during my research called The Magic of Mathematics - Discovering the Spell of Mathematics. I thought this would be a great starting point for my literature review as it has many examples of mathematical artworks. It focuses not only on art and maths, but it also focuses on many other links such as the relation between maths and nature. But then again, who is to judge whether nature is art or not? In this book I stumbled across an artist by the name of M.C Escher. His art looked very familiar to what James had presented to me in the second(i think) maths/art lecture. I went to the library and did some research as to what books he had released. The most interesting books that most related to me were called Exploring the Infinite, Visions of Symmetry, and the Magic Mirror of M.C Escher. I ordered the books in and started reading the first one available to me. On the first page I found many great ideas and quotes. I am finally beginning to start my maths trail. And I have a feeling I am on the right track.

Project Research

I was browsing the web when I stumbled across a program that is in every way possible related to our assignment. It uses maths and art to generate designs and patterns using specific algebraic rules that you are able to change and adapt. I found this program extremely interesting because despite using random patterns, it also had a sense of order and purpose to every shape generated. These kinds of designs are almost impossible to imagine and generate without the incorporation of mathematics. It is a prime example of how the barriers between maths and art have been eliminated. Looking at these designs I see a huge potential for adapting them into something usable for my playground design.

Here are some of the patterns that I managed to build in the program.

Week 4 - Signs and Symbols

It is now week 4, and I am beginning to see the bigger picture of how maths and art are intertwined with each other, quite literally in fact. After James drew up a quick diagram I recognized that the metaphorical circle that defines art should not be a static thing. In fact, it is up to us  are artists to mold the shape of that very circle to encompass new features. We can even remove features of that original circle if we chose to do so. For too long, the "isms" of the art world have ruled, they are now a thing of the past. This simple metaphor once again, made me reflect upon how I used to think of art before coming into this course and how I view it now, after 6 months of BCT.

Today's lessons also branched away from the maths aspect of the paper and focused more so  on the art perspective and its presentation and interpretation. The "white cube" was a perfect example. As extravagant as it sounds, it is but a mare gallery. However, once inside the building, all you are confronted with is an extremely plain environment, completely surrounded by bland white walls. For me, looking at this I felt as though it transported visitors to a completely new realm, disjointed from the world itself. It focuses peoples attention on the artworks that are strewn precisely around the walls. It made me think about how I present my work and how important it is for the surroundings to reflect the art itself. It is almost as if the environment that art is in, is in fact part of the artwork itself.

Another subject talked about in class was that of symbols. All through school I thought I had an understanding of what symbolism is after writing countless symbolism essays on novels and films. However, once again, my views were drastically changed. I realized that what makes a symbol a symbol is how we  invest meaning into that specific object, word, sound etc. It isnt inherent for an object to have meaning in it, the meaning comes from us, who we are, and what we have experienced. A  prime example of this from class was the use of the crucifix in a particular painting. The cross itself wasn't a symbol, it was the use of a symbol...Hard to get your head around I know. From listening to James I came to the conclusion that we ourselves don't need to be theorists on the subject of signs and symbols, but we can use them as a powerful tool  to aid in our creativity.

I enjoyed the first part of the class however, the second part with Andy was not so enjoyable. In fact it was noted down as one of the most "WTF" moments in BCT so far. We were introduced to an artists by the name of Joseph Beuys. His face was covered in honey while he cradled a dead hare and whispered to it descriptions of the paintings around the room. For me, this is just too much. And quite honestly, strange for me to consider as art. However I am making a huge attempt to keep an open mind during this course and from witnessing such acts, I can understand how this may not seem symbolic to me, but that it probably because it has no invested meaning to me. Once again, this class has broadened my ever expanding view on art, as I eagerly await the next class.

Week 3

On the third week of maths and art we were introduced to the details of our project. At first it didn't seem like too much to do, but now I have hit reality in the realization that it is a huge amount to get done before the end of semester, especially with multiple projects running at once. I need to get my A into G and get some research done before I fall to far behind. Although I am more dreading the design of the playground rather than the essay itself. After the project details were released we moved onto the subject of maths and art again. We experimented in class with the new subject of geomety, and how we can sculpt it and transform it into interesting loops and patterns. For example, a half twist in a strip of paper, and celotaping it together at both ends. This produced an interesting and "infinitesimal" pattern. When i drew a line along the paper it seemed as though it never had a beginning and never had an end. We then began to experiment with different amounts of twisting of the strips of paper, but eventually it just got too messy to continue the exercise. Nonetheless, I discovered that geometry can be sculpted and changed beyond the common squares and circles that we encounter in our everyday lives. This really interested me because I have seen a lot of these kind of artworks and I have always wondered how people come up with this intricate, mind boggling patterns.

Near the end of the lecture we were shown a range of maps that we designed in the past to represent the paths that underground trains travel on in London. I noticed that the map seemed to be very confusing and overly complex. Aspects such as distance, landmarks, and topography  were all used in the earlier tube maps. But it was until the modern map that people began to accept the simplified version of the tunnel system. All people really wanted to know about was which train they needed to catch to get to their destination. There really was no need for over complication. It is now up to me to design a map for Auckland cities proposed rail system.

Given the brief, we were told to go away and design our own map of the NZ railway system. A new loop was proposed to include Britomart, Aotea Square, K Rd, Newton, Mt Eden. Boston Rd, Grafton,

    Newmarket, Britomart. I decided to have a play around with a circular-like structure. I feel that it is easy to understand. (perhaps because I made it). I wanted the map to be as simple as possible. Geography was not an issue as most people dont know where most things are anyway. All they want to know is where and how. I didnt add in all the stops because it was a bit time consuming. But you get the picture.

Week 2

After the first week of maths and art I really didn't have huge expectations for the second week, I thought it was be more debate and talk about what exactly the subject involved, however instead we headed in a direction that I was rather please to talk about and that was the art itself. We explored many areas of how maths affects the art around us and even our architecture. Most interesting to me was one of the first pictures shown to us of a spiral drawn onto the ground in a town square of some kind. Because of how it was drawn it really brought to me the feeling of tension within the picture. Usually, we encounter architecture to be of a 'perfect and flawless' appearance, with perfectly drawn squares and circles. However this picture showed me that our perception of something as bland as a town square can change with the involvement of maths/art within the architecture. Strangely enough the fact that mathematics was used to create the masterpiece is also a contrasting factor in my opinion because normally I perceive maths to follow structure and rules. However in this case it does the complete opposite. Another piece of art that stood out from the flock was a piece designed by Bridget Riley. It was off black and white lines swirled around each. To me I instantly thought to myself that it was a 3D cone shape, however as people began to converse about it, i realized that my view point was not that of everyone else, some people didn't even see it as 3d, while others thought that it was a 3d inverse cone. It showed me that using maths in this artwork provided not one, but many other possibly view points to appreciate the art. It reminded me that everyone is different with their thoughts and opinions and that one artwork may not necessarily spark the same emotions for every individual.

As we scrolled through countless images that relation to maths and art I slowly became bored with the repeating images that had relations to 'optical illusions.' I was glad when we moved onto artworks by a man named Chuck Close. I gazed upon his portrait painting thinking that it was extremely well painted, but as James zoomed in close to the image we see realised that the picture itself was not a picture as a whole, it was made up of thousands of other tiny boxes, which were then split up into many more 'pixels.' I had to stop for a moment to fully contemplate the time and effort put into this painting. Once again, it showed me that there is much more to art that its face value.

Week 1 - Maths introduction

Finally, we are back at uni and we are fast getting back into the mindset of actually using our brains. I had no idea  what we were in for upon entering the first 9am Monday class but interestingly enough we were informed that a large section of semester 2 will revolve around the concepts of maths and art together as one. In the first class we didn't focus too much on the art side, rather we talked about maths and what it means to us as individuals. After all, maths is just a word, how do we describe it? Numbers? Symbols? Equations? All of these are correct but after debating with Andy for quite sometime my perception of  what mathematics is had truly transformed. It made me think about it from a completely different perspective. I have always thought of maths as a universal language that intertwines all things within our universe. However, I began to realize that perhaps mathematics is simply a construct of human nature, a complex tool that we have generated to bring about explanations of the unknown. It  is in our nature to strive and understand our surroundings, whether is be space, biology, or engineering. But if the human race was to be wiped out entirely, would our language of maths follow? We have seen time and time again that maths is not perfect. We are continuously adjusting the laws of physics for example to explain how things move and even how all things came about. But how do we determine what is true and what is false? There is no evidence, simply a patchwork formula. Being a space nut, I personally could talk  about the subject for an eternity. The first lecture, despite being an introduction has truly sparked my interest. Maths is a wonderful thing to study, it not only relates to how all things were created but it also has relevance to such human creations as art. This language of mankind truly is an amazing concept that in has weaved its way through everything we see around us in an infinite web. Maths is much more than  numbers, symbols, and equations, it is beauty.


maths is art