In nature, complexity and function arise out of extremely simple rules. The irony is that when trying to decipher this complexity, the complexity is so extreme that scientists are not always able to understand the basic rules that are at play.
Biomathematics is an emerging field in which mathematics are used to model biological and natural processes. Up until now, the equations that exist are limited; calculations are not generally feasible due to the extreme complexity of the systems in question. In addition to the well known phi ratio, one possible exception to this comes from Alan Turing who, in 1952, theorized that patterns in nature are created by what is now known as a "reaction-diffusion" system. In this theory, patterns such as stripes on a zebra are formed when "activator" and "inhibitor" molecules diffuse across membranes at different rates; this diffusion differential results in the genes that are responsible for controlling pattern expression being turned on or off. The mathematical equation that Turing proposed for this process is now generally accepted as an explanation of fairly simple patterns.
The forms pictured here are from an earlier project but also a preliminary step into what I hope will be a series of sculptures based on theoretical equations and algorithms from the field of biomathematics.
