Join mathematician Ingrid Daubechies and textile artist Dominique Ehrmann for a gallery talk about Mathemalchemy, a multimedia art installation on view at the National Academy of Sciences. Co-creators Daubechies and Ehrmann discuss the many layers of the artwork, the process of creating a project reaching across disciplines and across art techniques, and their hope that the work will help attract a wider range of young people to careers in math, science, and engineering.

Conceived in early Fall 2019, the Mathemalchemy project became an exciting collaborative enterprise in early 2020, driven by the energy and enthusiasm of 24 mathematical artists and artistic mathematicians. After more than a year of meeting remotely over Zoom and fabricating components in their separate locations, they met in the summer of 2021, all duly vaccinated, and built a large multimedia art installation that celebrates the creativity, the beauty, and yes, the fun of mathematics.

The Mathemalchemy exhibition is on view through Sunday, June 12, 2022 at the National Academy of Sciences, 2101 Constitution Avenue N.W., Upstairs Gallery, Washington, D.C. Open 9-5 on weekdays, closed weekends and holidays. See below for COVID-19 vaccination policy details.

Agenda

Sunday, June 12

5 p.m. Check-in opens at 2101 Constitution Avenue NW and 2100 C St NW (Photo ID and proof of up-to-date COVID vaccination required, policy details below)

5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. Gallery Talk in the NAS Fred Kavli Auditorium (In-person or Livestream tickets available)

6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Reception in the Great Hall and Upstairs Gallery with time to view Mathemalchemy

Speakers

Ingrid Daubechies is a physicist and mathematician often hailed as the godmother of the digital image. Her major mathematical discovery, dubbed the ‘Daubechies wavelet,’ was key to the creation of image-compression algorithms. Her academic work centers on the mathematical analysis of signals, data, and images, with many practical applications for television-screen technology and computer graphics. Daubechies and her team have explored applications of mathematics to the conservation of notable works of art, including the Ghent Altarpiece. A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, she is the James B. Duke Professor in the department of mathematics and electrical and computer engineering at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

Dominique Ehrmann is a self-taught fiber artist based in Quebec, Canada. With a background in chocolate making and special event cake design, Ehrmann began working in fiber arts in 2005. Quilting is her medium to tell stories. She knows the rules, patterns, and techniques. She uses them as a means to transport, express, touch and reinvent. First, a story emerges and then it starts taking shape and growing in three dimensions. She assembles it in her head, designs it to the last detail, and once ready, turns it into a sketch. Sketches become paper models, which then become patterns. With Stéphan, her husband and collaborator, she pushes the limits of the medium. Her artwork invites exploration and interaction. Her work has been exhibited internationally including at the Katonah Museum of Art in New York and the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.

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