Event 2: Guest Lecture with Gerald De Jong (Math + Art)

    I had the opportunity to attend a guest lecture with Dr. Vesna featuring Gerald de Jong. I was memorized with all of Gerald's creations, from the smallest structure he could hold, to the largest structures in the background, all of which were created from various tubes and strings, things that come together to create art when arranged properly. 

    Gerald starts off the lecture mentioning how those who are artistic tend to push away math, and vice versa. However, what many fail to realize is that arts and mathematics work closer together than ever. A tour of the towers were then shown, along with QR codes with computed structures of them detailing the amount of tubes used, and their logistics. Gerald focuses on a concept called Elastic Interval Geometry and uses it within his website to create online designs that can then be replicated in person (DESMA9).

Nguyen, Michelle. Screenshot from DESMA9: Guest Lecture with Gerald De Jong MATH + ART. 7 April 2022. Author's Personal Collection. 
 

    After the quick demonstration, Gerald dives into discussing tensegrity, defined as understanding the stability of three-dimensional structures through tension and integrity ("Welcome!"). Gerald explains that these towers are able to stand on their own with some rings, tubes, and cables. 

Nguyen, Michelle. Screenshot from DESMA9: Guest Lecture with Gerald De Jong MATH + ART. 7 April 2022. Author's Personal Collection.

Nguyen, Michelle. Screenshot from DESMA9: Guest Lecture with Gerald De Jong MATH + ART. 7 April 2022. Author's Personal Collection.

    The QR codes provided then opens into the Pretenst App, where some of the projects shown were then modeled through geometrical coding and logistics (Pretenst Tensegrity Design). This virtual software allowed a more efficient method in providing maximum efficiency, allowing Gerald to continue working on this throughout the pandemic. 


The Q. Insane Floating Tensegrity Chair. 2020. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nkdl1iqKQA.

    After the lecture, I researched current usage for tensegrity and was surprised to see that so many of these have been applied, including YouTube videos showing DIY furniture designs, to consumer sites selling these tables for aesthetic decor (“Tensegrity Table”). It really gave me a chance to deeply appreciate how mathematics and arts are closely tied together, despite the idea of it being two cultures. I personally feel that, if school curriculum change to represent modern society, concepts like tensegrity would be beneficial to the future in the material/consumer world (RSA). 

 

Sources:

DESMA 9: MATH & ART with Gerald De Jong. https://us8.campaign-archive.com/?e=[UNIQID]&u=9baf6baeafa7dd6c42a6db349&id=8822bc9052. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.

 

Pretenst Tensegrity Design. https://pretenst.com/app/#choice. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.

 

 RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&feature=youtu.be. Accessed 7 Apr. 2022.

 

“Tensegrity Table.” Etsy, http://www.etsy.com/market/tensegrity_table?msclkid=96e1f37cb83011eca243a6764a301f1a. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.

 

“Welcome!” Pretenst, https://pretenst.com/. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022.

 

     

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