Marcus du Sautoy: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity

Many of the artists that we encounter are completely unaware of the mathematics that bubble beneath their craft, while some consciously use it for inspiration. Our instincts might tell us that these two subjects are incompatible forces with nothing in common – mathematics being the realm of precise logic and art being the realm of emotion and aesthetics – but what if we’re wrong? 

Marcus du Sautoy joins us at the Futures Institute to unpack how we make art, why a creative mindset is vital for discovering new mathematics, and how a fundamental connection to the natural world intrinsically links these two subjects.

Additional Information

Entry will be via the Edinburgh Futures Institute south entrance on Porters Walk (opposite Tribe Yoga).

This event will be photographed/recorded, and may be used for future marketing, promotional or archive purposes. If you would prefer not to be photographed/recorded, please let us know at the event.

Speaker Biographies

Marcus du Sautoy

Marcus du Sautoy has been named by the Independent on Sunday as one of the UK's leading scientists, and he has written extensively for the Guardian, The Times and the Daily Telegraph and has appeared on Radio 4 on numerous occasions. In 2008 he was appointed to Oxford University’s prestigious professorship as the Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science, a post previously held by Richard Dawkins.

Chair: Minhyong Kim

Minhyong Kim is Director and Sir Edmund Whittaker Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Edinburgh. He works on arithmetic geometry, the study of spaces built out of finitely-generated systems of numbers, employing ideas of mathematical physics, especially topological quantum field theory. Minhyong is a keen communicator of mathematics and has published 13 books in Korea for the general public. His latest project is a series of illustrated children's books featuring a mathematician (who quickly disappears), his family (who search for him), and Schroedinger's cat (who does both).