[Maths-Education] Maths-Art seminars at London Knowledge Lab, 14 February: Francisco González Redondo, 'On the Origin of Mathematics and Art in Prehistoric Times'

[Phillip Kent]

** PLEASE CIRCULATE ** ALL WELCOME **

ON THE ORIGIN OF MATHEMATICS AND ART IN PREHISTORIC TIMES

An LKL Maths-Art Seminar
by Francisco González Redondo 
Thursday 14th February 2013, 6.00 - 7.30pm 

According to the standard view, the history of Art begins in the Upper
Palaeolithic era, in the Aurignacian period in Europe, roughly 40,000
years ago. By that time, our ancestors had developed the capability of
symbolic thinking, an indicator of behavioural modernity that
constituted a significant revolution. But together with horses, deer,
goats, bison and mammoths painted on walls (Parietal Art), carved on
stone or engraved on bone artifacts (Portable Art), we also find
abstract paintings and engravings which contain non-representational
graphic marks which can only be understood from a very specific point of
view: Mathematics. Indeed, the interpretation of such symbolic register
as tallies, calendars, astronomical notations, mnemonic devices and,
even, cardinal and ordinal numbers, is experiencing increasing
acceptance among archaeologists. In this Seminar we will witness how
those first artists, members of our same species, with our same mental
capabilities, registered both their artistic and mathematical thinking. 

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.

TIME: 6.00 to 7.30pm
PLACE: London Knowledge Lab, 23-29 Emerald St, London, WC1N 3QS
[Travel information & maps at: http://bit.ly/LKL-MathsArt-venue ]

Next seminars: 14 March: Niloy Mitra (University College London); 11
April: Seminar/workshop on Mobius strips by Simon Morgan and John Sharp

*LKLMathsArt on YouTube: 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, Visiting Fellow, London Knowledge Lab
p.kent at ioe.ac.uk   phillip.kent at gmail.com 
www.phillipkent.net    m: 07950 952034
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