A Hénon Map Inspired by an Artwork Inspired by a Hénon map

As part of my maths in museums work I was talking to someone at the National Galleries of Scotland. The world of art lies a little outside my comfort zone, which is partly why I was interested in talking to them: if I want to encourage other people to venture outside their comfort zones in the direction of mathematics I should probably practice what I preach.

Anyway, just outside the Modern One gallery there is a sculpted land feature created by artist Charles Jencks called Landform which you can see to the top-right of the embedded satellite view of the area below:

The sweeping curves and other-worldly, natural-but-not-quite feel to this formation reminded me of something, but I couldn't immediately remember what. Somewhere in the back of my mind, Jeff Goldblum popped up:

The Unexpected Math Behind Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

This TED-Ed Original lesson discusses the uncannily accurate representation of the mathematically difficult concept of turbulence in Van Gogh's famous painting, and its potential relationship to his state of mind.

Watch the narrated animation in the player above or click the following link to visit the TED-Ed page which includes a transcript:

The Unexpected Math Behind Van Gogh's "Stary Night"

Maths Counts

One of a collection of posters produced for World Year of Mathematics 2000 and displayed on trains in the London Underground, this one focuses on Fibonacci, the Golden Ratio, and their appearances in nature and art.

This is a low-res version. Download the full-sized image at the link below:

World Mathematical Year 2000 London Underground Posters

Also available to purchase in a set of all 12 posters pre-printed at 61cm x 28cm from the Mathematical Association.