Collineations grounds

After successful student exhibitions of the transdisciplinary course Crystal Flowers in Halls of Mirrors: Mathematics meets Art and Architecture in Heureka Science Centre 2017 and Espoo Cultural Centre 2019, Aalto Math&Arts Minor exhibition returns to Otaniemi Campus in spring 2021. During the course, students from diverse disciplines and various stages of their studies have been working together in the realm of mathematics and arts searching interesting structures and concepts to be scrutinized and developed into tangible objects. This work was guided in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of teachers via lectures, workshops and tutoring sessions.

The theme of the 2021 course highlighted the fundamental role of projective geometry in the development of modern mathematics and interaction with applied fields. Its original growth out of the efforts of architects and painters to present spatial objects on flat surfaces to an exciting branch of mathematics manifests itself in genuine interconnections, that can be developed across metric geometry and further towards other disciplines. From a beautiful and intricate system of consistent propositions about points, lines and planes, a collection of unexpected results follows, stretching our imagination and strengthening the link between mathematics and visual perception. Hand in hand with projective configurations, the exhibition space provides a frame to implement and share ideas and visions about low dimensional geometry and topology, that have been studied in the context of Aalto Math&Arts.

The sheltered courtyard next to the main lobby of the Undergraduate Centre and its dark-red brick, black granite and copper clad façade provides a solid frame for the exhibition. In the spirit of Alvar Aalto, the student works enliven the premises from several perspectives through surrounding windows.

Teachers, Aalto University:

• Kirsi Peltonen (Responsible Teacher, SCI Mathematics)
• Taneli Luotoniemi (ARTS Artistic Research)
• Laura Isoniemi (ARTS Design, Art Education)
• Günther Filz (ARTS/ENG Architecture)
• Pauliina Skyttä (Campus Architect, ACRE)
• Markus Holste (Curator & Exhibition Architect, ARTS)
• Marco Rodriguez (Curator & Exhibition Architect, ARTS)
• Luiza Sevele (Curator & Exhibition Architect, ARTS)

EMMA

• Reetta Kalajo, Arja Miller