Monday, August 11, 2008

The Golden Ratio vs. Chaos (esoteric alert)

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There is a whole lot of math, science and art in this simple... um... thing... called the Golden Ratio (not to be confused with the golden "rule", "mean" or "numbers")...

The Golden Ratio is a universal law "...in which is contained the ground-principle of all formative striving for beauty and completeness in the realms of both nature and art, and which permeates, as a paramount spiritual ideal, all structures, forms and proportions, whether cosmic or individual, organic or inorganic, acoustic or optical; which finds its fullest realization, however, in the human form."

- Adolf Zeising, 1854

Quite a mouth full... especially for a Monday morning. While I don't agree with that last bit about the human form being the fullest realization of the Golden Ratio, I am profoundly moved by the rest of the above quote.

A Fibonacci spiral that approximates the golden spiral, using Fibonacci sequence square sizes up to 34.

Above is a figure that, as I understand it, incorporates the Golden Ratio. Think nautilus... one of Nature's amazing and beautiful creations...


I have a suspicion that human beings are innately drawn to this ratio... for the simple fact that it is contained in so much of our art.

Yet I am also drawn to the chaotic. But even our ideas about chaos can't get away from the Golden Ratio, or at the very least, pattern... look at this Google search for chaotic images. Think about Chaos Theory and Fractals...

My brain hurts.

Maybe, instead of waxing philosophical, I should just have shown you a recently made Nudibranch BioBangle...



And finally (finally!), for folks who like to play as they think...
Unscrew America
- Uber flash site (you, of course, will need Flash installed in your computer).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting!! You might want to check out this site:
http://www.enchgallery.com/fractals/fracthumbs.htm

Anonymous said...

The golden number as been a part of my work also, I was so fascinated by the relation between the number and mother nature ...
You can see fee polymer clay realisations here : http://marianes.canalblog.com/archives/p5-5.html and here : http://marianes.canalblog.com/archives/p5-5.html.
Your last bracelet is so wonderfull !!!
Many thank to share your art...

Raven's Clay said...

Hi Mariane! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment... Yes, it is very clear you are nature inspired! I love your mokume gane work, and your striped swirls are fantastic! Keep up the great work! :)