August 16, 2000
MOSAIC 2000 to explore places where math and art intersect
Computer scientists, mathematicians and architects will join artists, musicians, writers and poets on the University of Washington campus next week to explore the junctures where their disciplines overlap – zones that have helped revolutionize art in the past and promise to take creative endeavors in new directions in the future.
The occasion is MOSAIC 2000, an international conference designed to explore issues on the cutting edge of art and technology. The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. Monday and runs through Aug. 23 at the UW.
Helaman Ferguson and his wife, Claire, will deliver the keynote address, “Mathematical Sculpture in Stone and Bronze,” on Monday from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Husky Union Building (HUB) auditorium. Helaman Ferguson is a mathematician and sculptor. One of his algorithms was listed among the top 10 algorithms of the 20th century and his sculptures adorn institutions of higher learning and research worldwide. The address is free and open to the public. Other portions of the conference are open to members of the news media.
The focus of the event, exploring the overlap of mathematics and art, has proven to be a fruitful endeavor in the past, according to David Salesin, associate professor in the Computer Science & Engineering Department at the UW and senior researcher at Microsoft Corp. When mathematics encounters art, the result is often works of subtle beauty and harmony.
For instance, the discovery of mathematical perspective during the Renaissance changed painting forever, said Salesin, co-director of the conference. And interest in four-dimensional geography during the early 1900s prompted the idea of multiple viewpoints in cubism.
“These are exciting and productive interactions that we want to foster,” he said. “The implications go toward a wide variety of mediums, including animation and cinematography.”
Other featured presenters in the conference include:
Ed Catmull, a co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios who has served as the company’s vice president and chief technical officer. Catmull was twice awarded the Scientific and Technical Engineering Award from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his work. He also won the Coons Award, the highest achievement in computer graphics, for his lifetime contributions.
Andrew Glassner, a well-known author of many books and articles in the field of computer graphics. He is also interested in the structure of fiction and the integration of traditional storytelling techniques with new media such as computer-based gaming, participatory stories and e-books. After many years as a computer graphics researcher, Glassner is now a full-time writer of contemporary novels and a part-time consultant to the entertainment and computer industries.
Stephanie Strickland, whose work has long been inspired by mathematics. Author of several prize-winning poetry books, she has also written a prize-winning full-length hypertext poem, “True North,” as well as award-winning Web poetry. She lectures widely on hypertext issues, and her essays appear in the Electronic Book Review as well as in print.
Corey Cerovsek, a concert violinist with an international reputation. He has graduate degrees in both mathematics and music, and when not performing, he likes to discuss the philosophy of science. He’ll be doing both at MOSAIC 2000.
Rona Gurkewitz, an associate professor of mathematics and computer science at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, who will be giving a workshop on modular origami polyhedra.
Thomas Banchoff, professor of mathematics at Brown University and the current president of the Mathematical Association of America. He is well known for his work on the visualization of higher dimensional spaces.
MOSAIC 2000 is co-sponsored by the UW Animation Research Labs, Microsoft Research and Pixar Animation Studios.
###
For more information, contact UW Engineering Professional Programs at (206) 543-5539. The conference Web site, which includes a full program, can be found at www.cs.washington.edu/mosaic2000/.
