2017 Bridges Conference

Kaz Maslanka

Artists

Statement

"As a mathematical visual poet, my interest in correlating experience through language spawned my desire to study mathematics and physics. Over the last 34 years I have been pursuing my interest in using mathematics as a language for poetry. Mixing poetics in the structure of mathematics equations as well as visual poetry/art enables me to blend the aesthetics of art, poetry, science and mathematics. With phrases embedded in the mathematics equations, one can construct relationships between those phrases that can bring a linguistic richness to subjects that normally would not use mathematics as a language, e.g. political, cultural, spiritual, etc.

Artworks

Image for entry 'Congenital Wisdom'

Congenital Wisdom

60 x 90 x 5 cm

Digital Print in a Light Box

2017

This piece is a mathematical visual poem which conflates the value of the legend of Isaac Newton’s Apple with the value of the Biblical story describing the fall of mankind. This conflation takes place across a 5 dimensional space-mapping of metaphors related to these 2 stories. The metaphorical concepts are related to the creative force of negentropy by being mapped into Newton’s gravitational equation. I built the mythological image from multiple photos that I took and edited. I personally categorize this type of mathematical visual poem as a “Mathematical Paradigm Poem” whereby concepts are mapped into an existing equation from applied mathematics/science. I also juxtaposed these lexical/mathematical metaphors with visual metaphors.