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QED




Aha-Erlebnis




Bias justified




Team Spirit




Laws of Incompatibility




Clean Sweep Satisfaction




Origami Tremens




Zoo




Explosion (Controlled)




Leprechauns Trying To Blend In




Alcohol




El Virtuoso




Life




Braiding for Beginners




The Makings of ConceptsAssociated




Centrifugal Force




Confederates Lost




Figure 2. Counter-example to Pureness




Exaggeration




Alphabet Squaredance




Fallen Trees in a Quiet Sea




Question the Obvious




Four Mice




Armada




Hotel Key Rack




Pac-Men




Eyes Never Lie




Polycule




Detour




Aftermath




What Goes Around, Comes Around concept 44
by Peter Manuel



Science, and mathematics in particular, is often seen as beautiful. Not only for the visual forms produced by its formulas (such as fractals) but also for the elegance, clarity, and inevitability with which it describes reality.

Another form of beauty, which is rarely emphasised, is the syntactic side of formulas. The syntax or typographical form of a formula is independent of its meaning or its truth. Patterns, spacing, rhythm, hierarchy, minimalism, abundance, closure... formulas can be an endless source of aesthetic joy. The realisation that something profound is being said — albeit thoroughly incomprehensible, almost mystical — adds to the experience.

I have selected several formulas and graphs from scientific papers, mostly from Cornell University. Each work has a title based on my associations upon seeing it for the first time. Sometimes a formula already had a poetic title in its original scientific article: those I left untouched ("Laws of Incompatibility", "Counter-example to Pureness"). The title is part of the work.

50x70cm
Titled and signed single-edition FineArt prints.

Available in the boutique.