[Maths-Education] Maths-Art seminars at London Knowledge Lab, 14 June: Francisco González Redondo, "Art and Mathematics in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica"

[Phillip Kent]

** PLEASE CIRCULATE ** ALL WELCOME **

ART AND MATHEMATICS IN PRE-COLUMBIAN MESOAMERICA

An LKL Maths-Art Seminar
by Francisco González Redondo 
Thursday 14th June 2012, 6.00 - 7.30pm 

The Maya constituted the most sophisticated civilisation of Mesoamerica
prior to the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores. They acknowledged
several complex systems of counting and recording the passing of time,
(all of them related to a base-twenty system which included the use of a
‘zero’), as well as significant astronomical discoveries. Assumed to be
a distant outgrowth from seminal Olmec urban culture, the Maya planned
their cities, especially their ceremonial centres, according to cardinal
points and equinox-solstice occurrences, while designing their temples
subject to calendaric-mathematical patterns. They also developed a
visually rich glyphic writing carved on stelae and lintels, and painted
on ceramics, frescoes, and remarkable codices. Francisco will show how
all these issues ultimately merge in a unified conception of Astronomy,
Religion, Mathematics and Art that allows understanding for what is
behind the much-discussed date 21st December 2012, the day the [Maya]
World would supposedly come at an end. 

FRANCISCO A. GONZÁLEZ REDONDO is qualified in mathematics, philosophy of
science (PhD 1992), and history of mathematics, science and technology
(PhD 2000). He has published more than 100 articles and books in the
historical field. Since 1993 he is Associate Professor in the Faculty of
Education at Madrid's Complutense University. He is currently on a
half-Sabbatical in the UK, where he has delivered many lectures,
including at the Spanish Institute “Cañada Blanch”, London Region
Balloon Club, Imperial College, St John’s College Cambridge, and the
Spanish Embassy. 

Next seminars: Re-start in September, dates TBA

*SEMINAR AT GOLDSMITHS: Knotting in common - a discussion about
knowledge making, collective practice and working with fibres in the age
of the ‘new aesthetic’. Friday 15th June, 11am - 1pm, free but
registration required. http://www.gold.ac.uk/sociology/calendar/?id=5442

*LKLMathsArt on YouTube: a growing archive of videos
from the Maths-Art seminars. http://www.youtube.com/user/LKLMathsArt  

*Visit the website and seminar archive:
http://www.lkl.ac.uk/events/maths-art
*Join the email list for future seminar announcements:
http://www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/lkl-maths-art

 
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Dr Phillip Kent, London Knowledge Lab
p.kent at ioe.ac.uk   phillip.kent at gmail.com 
www.phillipkent.net    m: 07950 952034
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