Sea
Talking with Kobe about his mathematical work - which is to do with smoothing over singularities - I got impressions of the sea, wild and inviting, impossible to tame yet sometimes traversable, given the right kit.
The four pieces pictured here each have a connection to swirling and smoothing which relates to K.'s mathematical work and also to the sea and Kobe lives by the sea when he is not at the uni - another connection.
1. Butt: I took the photo 'Butt' in 2021, before I had met K though I was involved in the artist in residence project. At the time of being located at that Northerly point where waters meet, I'd thought of the contrast between the nearby turbulence and the seeming calm at the horizon. After talking with Kobe the memory of this experience returned and I retrieved an image which portrayed this contrast.
2. Align: this oil painting has a rough texture due both to the paper used and the thick layers of paint. The unpredictable distortions of curvature of the surface are emphasised by the application of contours in charcoal, which gives the piece a map-like quality and also represents the mathematical processes of locating roughness and of smoothing which is central to Kobe's mathematics.
3. Blackboard Texture: During our meeting/exhibition, participants are invited to 'traverse' the textured blackboard with chalk; how smooth will the resulting surface be?
4. Seaweed turning: this piece aims to communicate the difference an object might appear to us as we change our perspective with it; in mathematical work, finding the right 'slice' or covering space is crucial to understanding the phenomenon being researched.
5. Notebook (not pictured) Participants at the meeting will be invited to position some of Kobe's notes on a prepared surface.
Kobe Marshall-Stevens can be contacted via his website.
The four pieces pictured here each have a connection to swirling and smoothing which relates to K.'s mathematical work and also to the sea and Kobe lives by the sea when he is not at the uni - another connection.
1. Butt: I took the photo 'Butt' in 2021, before I had met K though I was involved in the artist in residence project. At the time of being located at that Northerly point where waters meet, I'd thought of the contrast between the nearby turbulence and the seeming calm at the horizon. After talking with Kobe the memory of this experience returned and I retrieved an image which portrayed this contrast.
2. Align: this oil painting has a rough texture due both to the paper used and the thick layers of paint. The unpredictable distortions of curvature of the surface are emphasised by the application of contours in charcoal, which gives the piece a map-like quality and also represents the mathematical processes of locating roughness and of smoothing which is central to Kobe's mathematics.
3. Blackboard Texture: During our meeting/exhibition, participants are invited to 'traverse' the textured blackboard with chalk; how smooth will the resulting surface be?
4. Seaweed turning: this piece aims to communicate the difference an object might appear to us as we change our perspective with it; in mathematical work, finding the right 'slice' or covering space is crucial to understanding the phenomenon being researched.
5. Notebook (not pictured) Participants at the meeting will be invited to position some of Kobe's notes on a prepared surface.
Kobe Marshall-Stevens can be contacted via his website.