Embedding Mathematics inArt & Design

Art & Design requirements range from the practical to the imaginative.Each of these disciplines will use maths to communicate information about the design or development of creative work.Design work has to satisfy strict functional criteria, such as ergonomics & anthropometrics, requiring accurate technical drawing & construction.Art work which is original and imaginative may not require such precision but will also involve composition, proportion and may involve repetition and accurate presentation.

Most work done for Art & Design studies employ a series of exercisesor projects in the form of “briefs”. Briefs attempt to normalise the exercises so they emulate a “realistic” situation in which the designer is developing a brief for a “client”, or the artist is researching and creating their own “brief”.

Most briefs will have a mathematical component. The maths may be simple scale, proportion and ratio, involving thebasic functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division;or the brief can require some knowledge of Physics & Mechanics requiringmore advanced maths such as Geometry or Algebra.

Examples of work involving Maths.

4frequency alternate geodesic dome based upon work done by Buckminster Fuller. Group brief involving geometry.

All these models required someability in maths.

From basic maths-

to more advanced

Xitij Mistry --From Unitec to RCA, Audi/Bugatti, and Ford/Lincoln

RCA-Citroen sponsored design 1996 1/3rd scale

Bugatti-- an Audi division-- 2000

RCA-Sony car of the future 1997 1/3rd scale

Ford—Lincoln MKR Concept Show Car 2007 full size

• The scale ratio of some sort of model which represents an original proportionally is the ratio of a linear dimension of the model to the same dimension of the original.

• Examples include a 3-dimensional scale model of a building or the scale drawings of the elevations or plans of a building. In such cases the scale is dimensionless and exact throughout the model or drawing. The scale can be expressed in four ways: in words (a lexical scale), as a ratio, as a fraction and as a graphical (bar) scale. Thus on an architect's drawing we might read-

• 'one centimetre to one metre'    or    1:100   or    1/100 and a bar scale would also normally appear on the drawing.

Scale, Proportion & Ratio

• Work without a scale indicator can be misleading.Scale,

• Scale may be precisely indicated on a work- i.e. 1:25, or it may be shown using an object of known size - i.e. the human form.

• Brief- Tree HouseYou are to design and make a scale model of a tree house. In the attached drawings and photographs you will see some ideas for aplay house (that could be made in a tree) or tree houses.

Whiteboard used as an indicator of scale size

Scale briefs

No figure, but the slide & stepsAre a good indicator of scale.

The photographed model is used to-

-produce a rendered drawingwith correct perspective.

Brief- Set Design- An introduction to basic elements in the design of astage show. Students will research and analyze a selected example of a Stage Show, (you may be asked to write a review in your Academic Studies Skills class). This example can then be used to develop a concept for a stage show. This concept will be then drawn using plan and elevation drawings which will be used to build a scale model. The scale model will be used to create a presentation drawing of the set concept.

Proportion briefs•Brief- Face Mask.-Research based 3D construction project looking at facial anatomy and Style contexts, using 2D (planar) materials.

As we are all able to read subtledetails of faces the proportions mustbe exact.

The face drawings need to be exactly1:1 scale so the mask outline can be drawn & modelled to fit.

Facial proportions change as we age

Facial proportions change as we age

•Brief- Human Story. -Illustrated story-telling and human studies drawings will produce an original cartooned anecdote taken from the student’s own experience. Drawing studies will look at human proportion and anatomy as well as perspective; using line, tone and colour illustration techniques.

Good drawing requires a knowledgeof perspective as well as humanproportion.

Brief – Mousetrap CarDesign and construct a vehicle that can be powered by a simple mouse trap.The mouse trap must stay on the vehicle during the testing run.Distance will be measured. (The record distance is 46 metres).The vehicle must have some aesthetic appeal.A simple constructional drawing will be required after the initial conceptsare developed and systems tested.This drawing will help you to construct the vehicle.

Ratio briefs

Research into physics & mechanics with associated maths is encouraged

Jackie’s run

Jennifer’s run

Bibliography & Acknowledgements

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_(ratio)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man

With thanks to the following students-Abdullah MotowazeBen ShelleyChang LiuJacky DunnJennifer LopesiMarty OliverMonty GasoloSatoshi ShimadaShiaz begXitij Mistry

Rob Hooper & John Laker, 2009