2013 Joint Mathematics Meetings

Rylee Frazier

Artists

Rylee Frazier

Student in Art Education/ Artist

Texas State University

Austin, TX

rmfrazier@txstate.edu

View exhibition history

Statement

Everything is connected, and art is a way to explore those connections. Art allows us to tap into a different mode of thinking where conscious attention, subconscious awareness, and metacognition work in conjunction with one another through the act of creating. Art is a language of the mind that not only assists in self-expression and design, but also allows us to explore information synthesis in our brain that our conscious attention may not quite grasp. Thus, through art we are able to express understandings visually that we may not have the capacity to express verbally at that time. We are pattern seekers by nature, and exploring the world in an interdisciplinary way allows patterns to emerge. It is up to us to search, make connections, and discover such patterns.

Artworks

Image for entry 'Forest of Symbols'

Forest of Symbols

21" x 21"

Deconstructed book/ Mixed Media

2012

Patterns in different systems are my inspiration (art, math, technology, language, culture). I related it to math with the Pythagoras tree fractal formula (sides & iterations =7) as a basis of design. I deconstructed/reconstructed a cultural anthropology book as a meditation on the history of culture & human intelligence. Social learning is spread/maintained via technology. I reference different info storage types: CD (digital), book, art, and language. Using an interdisciplinary approach to art reveals patterns in our evolution. I used origami to reflect the crystallization of a new understanding & folding/unfolding of our system. I also allude to light (reflection on CDs) - a symbol of philosophical views/perceptions about energy. There's a message of caution in my work for reliance on digital storage/technology. Even with social learning enhancements and new understandings, perhaps we still can't see the forest for the trees. (Look close & find names, #'s, & important words/phrases)