Cole Kissane

Statement

Math is something I am very passionate about, in fact, I go to a High school/Middle school that was founded "for kids who love math". I came to the school in 2016 its second year. We have math for two hours a day five days a week. I create art that expresses the beauty I see in math and the way that simple definitions and recurrences can lead to magical results. Most of my art is meant to convey this beauty to others, and I often program interactive math demonstrations/simulations. In my art, I demonstrate the beautiful complexity that can arise from simple mathematical steps. Recently I have taken to three-dimensional forms because physical objects can be even more effective when conveying the complex mathematical ideas to others!

Artworks

In mathematics, the Mandelbox is a fractal with a box-like shape. Its definition is similar to that of the Mandelbrot set. Both are sets of values of a parameter such that the origin does not escape to infinity under iteration of certain mathematical operations. The Mandelbox is defined as a map of continuous Julia sets, but, unlike the Mandelbrot set, can be defined in any number of dimensions. Although the concept of the Mandelbox has been around since 2010, this novel artwork implants such a box in a physical space. It overcomes the lack of connectivity between parts of the object by applying recent breakthroughs in 3D printing, allowing the printing of a polychromatic fractal within the clear plastic. After printing, I hand polished it.