Intrigued and inspired by mathematician friends, fine art photographer and professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York Jessica Wynne started documenting the complex and – to most of us – incomprehensible scribblings left on the chalkboards of math professors, compiled into a photographic series entitled Do Not Erase.
A lovely body of work that ponders on the intangible beauty of mathematical symbols, Do Not Erase reveals the artistic beauty behind the academic one. “The boards are a way for me to observe, learn and be connected to their work,” Wynne, who photographs the boards after sitting in on various math lectures and sessions, tells us. “The marks on the board have several layers of meaning for me, as I’m interested not only in the abstract beauty of the chalk on the board, but also in the knowledge and mystery the the work holds.”
As an artist, Wynne feels a certain kinship to this branch of academia’s musings and processes. “We share similar intentions and are ultimately speaking the same language of discovery and creation,” she explains. “I am attracted to the timeless beauty and physicality of the mathematicians’ chalkboard and to their higher aspiration to uncover the truth and solve a problem.”
See more of her work on her website and Instagram.
See more school-centric projects here.
Images © Jessica Wynne / with permission