Art and Science Forum Presents Kaz Maslanka

THE ART & SCIENCE FORUM

Presents: Kaz Maslanka "Polyaesthetics and Mathematical Poetry "
Thursday,October 4, 2007 6:30 PMThe Salk Institute - The Trustees Room

10010 North Torrey Pines Road

La Jolla, CA 92037

Polyaesthetics is a term Kaz Maslanka has used in connection with his artwork, as it embraces three different aesthetics; the aesthetics of verbal language, the aesthetics of visual language, and the aesthetics of mathematical language. Kaz’s artwork can be regarded as a blend of ‘visual poetry’ and ‘mathematical poetry’.
Kaz Maslanka’s definition of ‘mathematical poetry’ is that it is an artistic expression arising from performing mathematical operations on words or images as if they were numbers. One may find this baffling at first because it appears as though mathematical poets are confused about knowing the difference of the states of quality versus quantity. However, it is through the fusion of this dichotomy that mathematical metaphor is spawned.
Although there have been a few people write mathematical poems before Kaz Maslanka, it is arguable that none have pushed the genre’s boundaries farther. Kaz has lectured and published numerous papers on topics involving the aesthetics as well as the mechanics of Polyaesthetics and mathematical poetry. His polyaesthetic work has been shown internationally as well as across the United States. Furthermore, he continues to write about his mathematical poetic explorations as well as that of others on his blog at http://mathematicalpoetry.blogspot.com/ His polyaesthetic works can also be viewed at his website http://www.kazmaslanka.com/
Kaz states, "I infuse ideas into physics equations in ways that transform an equation into a metaphor, which helps in studying how we construct language and its cultural relationship between the physical and conceptual. I am also interested in exploring archetypes in a contemporary context by expressing my own mythology in relation to my struggle to comprehend my path, in nature's system, which directs and guides my life's moral and ethical decisions."
As usual, following this presentation there will be ample opportunity for lively discussion.

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Ron Newby
ronnewby@san.rr.com