A new way of looking at the andalusian heritagereaching mathematics through the history and art of the time, shows that this science is a link between three of the fundamental monuments of the time: Mosque of Cordobathe Alhambra of Granada and the Giralda of Seville.
That is why the exhibition Al-Andalus Mathematical Walk. Sense, mathematics and Andalusian art in the monuments shows the results of a study, “the largest to date”, on the math present in Andalusian monumental art.
The objective of the Mathematical Walks is to express the variety of mathematical concepts that come into play in the andalusian architecturesupported by brief texts and a few miniatures of orthos or photos with a mathematical layer that allow an almost visual reading of the exhibition.
With an interdisciplinary route, the exposure It turns mathematics “into a perspective that sheds light on the historical-artistic interpretation and clarifies the meaning of constructions and decorations,” as explained by the director of Casa Arabe in Córdoba, Javier Rosón.
In addition to the three most emblematic monuments, the exhibition also includes panels dedicated to the Cordoba Synagoguethe Torre del Oro and the Reales Alcázares of Seville.
The idea is that the sample is “high disclosure”, that is, accessible to everyone, although the mathematical part “makes it a little more complicated”, but it serves to have a new vision of what the monuments that “we are traditionally visiting” are. Currently, according to Rosón, we do not have “this mathematical geometric bias, which they did have at that time”, which is why it gives “that set of vision that I think is very interesting for the general public.”
Similar geometry
The three monuments on which the exhibition is based, the Mosque, the Alhambra and the Giralda, have a very similar geometry with proportions such as “the Cordoban, the golden, or root of 2, root of 3 or root of 5”, which means that “they all have the same geometric elements.” Rosón has assured that there is always a geometry and a previous design that ends up “coincidentally” giving those proportions.
The exhibition follows a conceptual tourtaking the most significant monumental spaces as a notable expression of mathematical ideas such as symmetry, order, construction of arches, geodesics, modulation, anthropometry, polygons and polyhedra, geodesy, tessellation or mathematical memes, among others.
The exhibition also relies on contemporary technologies, such as 3D models and manufacturing, software generation of mosaics, photogrammetry and augmented reality. With all this, the objective is to achieve a new scientific perspective Updated on Andalusian heritage. A look committed to scientific rigor, without avoiding any debate or taking any commonplace for granted, but at the same time entertaining in the narrative and curious in the intellectual.
In the compositional solutions given to its spaces, arches and vaults and in the colourful, rich and complex ornamentation of its tiles and stuccos, one can also see the trace of the deepest scientific and mathematical tradition of the Mediterranean and East“enlivened by the same breath and which shows that we are facing one of the most advanced cultures of the time.”
New details and explanations
The explanatory panels of the geometries in the different monuments also reveal details and explanations, such as why the Mosque of Cordoba It is not oriented towards Mecca, or at least it reveals some of the theories that are being considered.
Thus, the panel describes that the explanation is that from Córdoba the star ‘Canopus’ cannot be seen, which is where the main axis of the kaaba points, which represents the most important sacred and pilgrimage site in Islam. For this reason, when building the Mosque they looked for a parallel to the star that was visible in Córdoba and on which they were based.
Another of the curiosities that it shows are the different mosaics represented in the Alhambrain which “17 different mathematical models made in mosaic are discovered.”
Al-Andalus Mathematical Walk. Sense, mathematics and Andalusian art in the monuments It is an interdisciplinary project of the Discover Foundation in which more than twenty scientists from different areas of knowledge such as mathematics, art, or computer science, disseminators, communicators and educators participate. Everyone uses the technology and the most current dissemination techniques to establish a dialogue between art and science, between scientists and citizens, between science and tourism.
