Folha: ‘Bridges: bridges between art and mathematics’
Reproduction of Marcelo Viana’s column in Folha.
In 1509, the Italian Luca Pacioli published a book entitled “On Divine Proportion”, illustrated by none other than Leonardo da Vinci. It was a mathematical book dedicated to the number (1+√5)/2, called the “golden ratio”, whose properties fascinated Pacioli (and many others before and since). But it ended up becoming more famous for having given rise to the theory that the golden ratio would play a crucial role in aesthetics and art. It wasn’t the author’s intention, but the good thing is that this theory ended up inspiring some great artists, such as our own Cândido Portinari.
The discovery of a direct relationship between the golden ratio and the Fibonacci numbers, pointed out in 1611 by the astronomer Johannes Kepler, further reinforced this myth that the connection between art and mathematics is primarily through the golden ratio. The truth is that the bridges between these two areas of human activity are much more diverse and profound, and the best proof of this is provided by Bridges, a major international conference dedicated precisely to exploring the connections between the mathematical and artistic worlds.
Bridges began in 1998 on the initiative of mathematician Reza Sarhangi, who organized the first edition in Winfield, Kansas. Since then, it has been held annually in different cities around the world: the 2025 edition was held in Eindhoven, Holland, and in 2026 it is scheduled for August 5-8 in the Irish city of Galway.
The program is a combination of scientific lectures, exhibitions, artistic presentations, workshops and popularization activities. One of the most curious traditions is the Mathematical Art Exhibition, a serious artistic exhibition, including a professional jury, but made up of unusual pieces, such as crocheted models of hyperbolic space, sculptures based on 4D geometry, extremely complex geometric solids, or patterns that almost seem to be alive, generated by algorithms.
Symmetry, origami, algorithmic composition, ceramics, textiles, puzzles, poetry and theater linked to mathematics, fractals, tiles, geometric choreography and so many other concepts discussed at the conference bear witness to the richness of this relationship that has enchanted mathematicians and artists since at least the time of Pythagoras.
I first became aware of Bridges in 2014, when it was held in Seoul, South Korea, and was associated with the program of the International Congress of Mathematicians (the same one where Brazilian Artur Avila was awarded the Fields Medal). I loved the experience and so we immediately began efforts to repeat it at the next congress, which took place four years later in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, at the time we found it very difficult to find the indispensable partnerships in the Brazilian art scene. Overloaded with other things, we ended up throwing in the towel (Bridges 2018 went to Stockholm), which I regret to this day. Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to put that right in the near future?