Event Blog: Infinity Structures, Paradoxical Space, and the "Bounded Infinite" by Robert Gero

As an entirely Styrofoam structure accompanied by an ominous and powerful sound set, the Infinity Structures exhibit really expanded the way that I conceptualize space and expansion in a bounded environment. Walking into this exhibit, the most striking feature was also among the most crucial: the sheer volume spanned by what appear to be fragmented, jutting foam bars across the room arranged in a seemingly random fashion. However, the longer I circulated the room and became familiar with the dimensions of the space, the more I began to realize that the entire structure itself was - much like the music playing in the background - an augmented reflection of the space in which it was situated. As was later explained by the artist, Robert Gero, the design for the layout of the structure in the room was determined by a computer program that took the physical dimensions of the room and the building around it and transformed them as the entire structure expanded from the outside in into a theoretical infinity. Much like a picture captures only one moment in a continuum of actions, so this piece represents only one snapshot of a theoretically infinite expansion within a bounded space – pushing the mathematical reasoning of such pillars of modern mathematics as Georg Cantor and Gottfried Leibnitz while furthering the exploration of Espinoza’s bounded infinite.

Illustrating the freeze-frame idea of the artist, these representations also integrate features of their surrounding environments - in this case, pillows found in the room before beginning assembly.

            This exhibit challenged me to think of the deeply theoretical mathematical roots underlying a very tangible artistic representation. Never before had I been able to interact with and freely conceptualize such a broad, seemingly untouchable idea! By putting what had always been a purely intellectual concept into physical form, and challenging my senses through sight and sound to grapple with the notion of a perpetually inward-expanding “infinity structure”, Gero deeply influenced my understanding of the intersection of theoretical mathematics and art – allowing me to see the application of solid-state structures in illustrating phenomenon that may not be physically possible to construct. While not directly related to my final project, I will carry this understanding of mathematical influence in artistic design to my research for the final project while continuing my exploration of art and science in the future.