TIFFANY SHLAIN

Einstein described mathematics as “the poetry of logical ideas.” Abstract Expression presents a visual timeline that charts the wordless evolution of scientific history carved into a seven-foot reclaimed redwood disc. 39 mathematical equations—shown only with their dates—trace the progression from the Pythagorean theorem through modern day culminating in the 2017 transformer equations behind generative AI systems. To fit the bullet points into the tree rings, the artists use the golden ratio, whose spiraling form has been associated with classical proportions since the time of Pythagoras.