Recommended Read this week is Malcolm Stewart's (1939-) 'Patterns of Eternity - Sacred Geometry and the Starcut Diagram', published by Floris Books. This is a classic sacred geometry text, well researched, insightful, covers a lot of ground, includes plenty of examples from many cultures. If you are serious about understanding the mathematics of sacred geometry then this needs to be in your library. Stewart proposes that the Starcut Diagram has very interesting mathematical properties and that it could possibly be the source of the ancient number system used to build ancient sites. Malcolm Stewart's varied career includes - priest, singer-songwriter, editor and book jacket designer, UN project co-ordinator, NGO relief-aid and refugee organiser, freelance artist and stained glass designer, lecturer and author.
0 Comments
Cymatics by Hans Jenny MACROmedia Press 978-1-88813-807-8 Recommended Read this week is 'Cymatics' by Hans Jenny (1904 - 1972). It is a primer for understanding the history of the field of cymatics (physics of sound), the geometry within sound waves and their creative influence. Probably best to read this first before last week's Recommended Read 'Interference Theory'. Even our early ancestors knew that sound and its impact on us at a cellular level were highly important. Our depth of our understanding of the science of cymatics grows every day. The significance of sound in the creative process and its influence on us is becoming more mainstream since Jenny's early work. John Stuart Reid's cymascope has contributed significantly to this field. I have included a couple of YouTube videos at the end of this blog for those of you who are new to the subject. These stunning geometric patterns are like animated mandalas. This original hardcover edition now seems to be a collectible item and secondhand copies are quite expensive. It is currently reprinting and is due out March 2022 - Floris Books.
Interference: A Grand Scientific Musical Theory by Richard Merrick published by Richard Merrick 978-0-615-20599-1
The Power of Limits: Proportional Harmonies in Nature, Art and Architecture by Gyorgi Doczi Shambhala Publications Ltd 978-1-59030-259-0
György Doczi (1905 - 1995) practiced architecture in Hungary, Sweden, Iran, and the United States. He initiated a permanent exhibit on form in nature and art at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, and was a founder of the Friends of Jungian Psychology Northwest. Yantra - A Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity by Madhu Khanna Thames and Hudson 978-0-50027-234-3
Madhu Khanna is a noted Indian people historian of religion and noted and tantra science based in Delhi, India. Her first degree was from Oxford and she has several other academic accolades and awards. She has written several books, 'Yantra' being the most popular, and has contributed to three national projects, as well as several research projects for the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Mahu Khanna - Google Scholar Square, Circle, Triangle by Bruno Munari Princeton Architectural Press 978-1-61689-412-2 This week's Recommended Read is an excellent book called Square, Circle, Triangle by the acclaimed giant in 20th Century design, Bruno Munari (1907 - 1998). He was an artist, designer and inventor in several fields of the visual arts - painting, sculptor, graphic design, industrial design and film. He produced many children's books and toys. Also non-visual arts, with his fascinating research on games, didactic method, tactile learning, kinaesthetic learning and creativity. A hugely prolific talent. Another fantastic supplement to my books as he provides plenty of extra examples of these three simple, fundamental shapes in different cultures and applications (games, design, architecture, sculpting...). The simple book cover says it all! At the bottom of this post are YouTube links to interviews with B Munari and other interesting material.
Crystal & Dragon: A Cosmic Two Step by David Wade Destiny Books, US 978-0-89281-404-6 This week's Recommended Read goes into pattern sharing in depth! "Crystal and Dragon" by David Wade is fascinating. A great supplement to my The Hidden geometry of Life since I summarise pattern sharing in two chapters. Similarly he is an artist and sculptor living in the UK. On my list of kindred souls I would like to meet. David has also written about patterns for Wooden Books. Exploring the interplay of form and energy, David Wade takes the reader on a journey through the world of successive ages from Plato's conception of the ideal form and the ancient Chinese philosophy of change to the modern scientific view of structure and indeterminacy as embodied in the laws of physics. Numerous times I have had conversations about how worthwhile it would be to teach children the significance of mathematics using examples of geometry around us in Nature. In fact, using examples everything we interact with and the many fun ways in which we use it - as in our games, clothes, music and so many other relevant ways that a child can easily relate to, and understand it. Sometimes I dabble with the idea of producing a book for children describing the richness of the language of numbers. Maybe I will do one day, but in the meantime I searched around to see if anyone else had already done so.......and discovered..... This Disney animation, "Donald in Mathmagic Land" was recommended to me. It is an example of how much more interesting, and memorable, mathematics could be made using visual, real examples from around us. "The Greedy Triangle"....and several books that were already showing how fun the world of geometric shapes can be for the younger audience. In fact there were DOZENS approaching geometry-shapes and colours from different 'angles'! Books on geometric shapes for young readers"The I Hate Mathematics! book" by Marilyn Burns - '....a way of looking at the world and that it can be relevant to everyday life (Street maths) and fun'.
"Shapes, Shapes, Shapes" by Tana Hoban - 'Whenever you are - inside or outside - there are shapes to discover.' |
Archives
December 2023
Categories
All
|