Conan Chadbourne

Statement

My work is motivated by a fascination with the occurrence of mathematical and scientific imagery in traditional art forms, and the frequently mystical or cosmological significance that can be attributed to such imagery. Mathematical themes both subtle and overt appear in a broad range of traditional art, from Medieval illuminated manuscripts to Buddhist mandalas, intricate tilings in Islamic architecture to restrained temple geometry paintings in Japan, complex patterns in African textiles to geometric ornament in archaic Greek ceramics. Often this imagery is deeply connected with how these cultures interpret and relate to the cosmos, in much the same way that modern scientific diagrams express a scientific worldview.

Artworks

This image is part of an extended series of meditations on the structure of the icosahedral group. In this image, a Hamiltonian cycle is drawn in the Cayley diagram of the icosahedral group, shown here based on generators of order 2 and 3. The image is composed of multiple hand-drawn images which are digitally composited and output as a archival digital print.

This image is part of an extended series of meditations on the structure of the icosahedral group. In this image, a Hamiltonian cycle is drawn in the Cayley diagram of the icosahedral group, shown here based on generators of order 2 and 5. The image is composed of multiple hand-drawn images which are digitally composited and output as a archival digital print.