Susan Gerofsky

Statement

Re-Storying Math is a multi-year research project re-introducing people to mathematics via mathematical art. We're working with whole intergenerational communities in rural and urban settings in British Columbia, Canada — everyone from preschool-aged kids to elders and everyone in between. We aim to turn around a societal fear of mathematics by working with whole communities through artistic forms chosen through community discussions -- this year with mathematical poetry, and in a previous phase, mathematical labyrinths. We hope this may help people tell one another new and better stories about the beauty of their mathematical heritage. This film documents two workshops with the Hornby Island community on the vernal equinox this year, focusing on Fib (Fibonacci) poems and Sprang poems (based on sprang weaving), two new forms of math poetry with close ties to the Bridges Math and Art Poets' Group. It also features excerpts from interviews and poetry by workshop participants.

Films

This film documents two community workshops on mathematical poetry, held in the rural community of Hornby Island, BC, Canada on the vernal equinox in March 2024. These workshops are part of an ongoing project called Re-Storying Math, where mathematics educators/ artists from the University of British Columbia work with whole intergenerational communities on mathematical art-making and inquiry. The aim of the project is to begin to counter prevalent community narratives where people express fear of mathematics -- we hope to begin a process of helping people of all ages 'make friends with mathematics' through explorations of the beauty of mathematical patterns and mathematical ways of thinking and working. All our work is done as community collaborations, with the mathematical art forms at each phase chosen collaboratively. The film features clips from interviews and poetry by participants, and tells the story of a gradual change in people's experiences.