Neal Bushaw

Statement

I am a mathematician who is fascinated by exploring the boundary line between the rigor and precision of mathematical statements, and the aesthetic and flow of musical composition. In both contexts, I am interested by phenomena which are easy to see, but hard to explain -- for example the complicated structures of graph theoretic objects, or the consonance and dissonance of musical chords. When a pattern appears which is relevant and mysterious in both the mathematical and musical worlds, designing and building a set of models exploring such patterns and objects help me to gain insight to the mathematics, the relevant objects, and their subtleties via non-standard mathematical senses (by touching, creating, and feeling 3D objects).

Artworks

The curious mathematician cannot look at a piano keyboard without wondering: why are the black keys configured in this precise way, in groups of two and three? The curious musician may find themselves asking the same question. Here, we explore pianos which have their black keys distributed in a mathematically consistent manner, but differing from traditional pianos in not just their number of keys but in their topological traits. The sequence of white keys on any of these theoretical pianos gives rise to a musical scale -- one that differs from the diatonic scales which have dominated western music. One can imagine composing or improvising on such pianos, hearing and seeing melodies and harmonies from a new combinatorial perspective.