The exhibition was developed by the (in the field of Mathematics) famed German research institute Oberwolfach in 2008 and has already visited more than 140 cities in, among others, Israel, Uruguay and Uganda. In the Netherlands it will first be located at the TU/e, after which it will travel to six other different locations until July 2017. According to Wil Schilders, Director of Platform Wiskunde Nederland (tr. Dutch Platform for Mathematics), the exhibition has a clear vision: “The image of the mathematician as an grey-haired and elderly man, like the ‘Doc’ from Back to the Future, doesn’t really conform to reality. With this exhibition we present the mathematician as an artist who uses all kinds of visualization techniques to bring about the beauty in the formulas.”

This theme, ‘Beauty in mathematics’, is weaved through the exhibition in a multitude of ways; by use of an interactive touchscreen you can bring formula’s to life and vary different parameters to see what happens to your visualization in real-time. With different puzzle pieces you can design your own tiling, which you can compare to the tilings designed by Islamic masters in the centuries before 800 AD and used in mosques. Plaster-made models from the early 20^th century are placed next to equivalent ones produced in 3D-printing. In addition, you can dive into the visualization of a Mandelbrot-set, in which we can infinitely zoom in and out to find repeating patterns.

The fact that some math has no practical application at all, but is developed for the creation of art, becomes clear when you look at the work of the German Valentina Galata. At the age of sixteen, she wrote a 3-dimensional polynomial formula of considering length describing the form of a true-to-life teapot. A more practical, but still beautiful, application can be found in photonic crystals. These crystals have a structure designed in such a way that they absorb all light or only reflect light of specific wavelengths.

Wil adds: “While we are constantly using math to solve complex problems, it is easy forget the beauty hidden behind the formulas”. With this combination between interactive elements and existing art, the different mathematical techniques used and the tension between contemporary and historical works Imaginary is an exhibition in which every student of technology should be able to find something identifiable.

The exhibition Imaginary can be visited in rooms MF11-12. It is opened September 19 to 23 between 9:45 and 16:15 for the general audience. After this week, you can still visit on September 17 & 24 and October 1 & 2 from 10 to 16. There will be tours available for high-school classes.