Trace Mayer Antiques

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Positively 4th Street

I am a great fan of the numerous examples where Art and Science intersect and in so doing become indistinguishable.  I imagine there is a word to describe just that in another language, and if anyone knows that, please send that on to me.  I recently came across another such example on social media and am happy to pass this on:


These were created from derivations of Fibonacci's formula.  You might not recognize Fibonacci by name, but it was his formula that DaVinci used 500 years after Fibonacci to create the Golden Ratio.

It is here that esoteric formulas manifest into something beautiful or engaging or just plain cool.  'Art' graduates from something that engages more than just the visual.  I maintain that one of the barometers for a successful piece is how many senses are engaged.  These synesthetic experiences can create a powerfully emotional response.  When looking at a landscape can you feel the warmth of the sun- or smell the air... dampness,  a breeze, sadness, elation.  Does it create a feeling and resonate on a level that you can't quite understand?   It's revelatory when a piece resonates.  We don't have to understand why.  It's enough to enjoy it, but sometimes learning about a piece can add to the experience.  The same holds true for music, food, sculpture, smells, photographs, etc...

One of the great formulas that seems to continually manifest itself in artistic ways was discovered around 1,000 years ago by a guy named Fibonacci.  He was a mathematician. 

We create our world by how we interpret it.  It isn't what it is- It is how we see it (as the adage goes).
There is an argument that art requires a viewer.  It is created by our participation and would not exist if we did not view it.  I know that sounds like we are getting into an episode of the Big Bang Theory and Schrodinger's Cat- but maybe we are.  Maybe art requires a relative experience or relationship between the viewer and the piece.