Mathematics is often interpreted as the art of numbers, but it is a rarer occasion by which visual art adopts mathematics as inspiration. Mark Dorf, in his series Axiom and Simulation, fuses photographs of natural landscapes with fundamental mathematics concepts. He uses digital renderings as a prime example; though the result is akin to a physical tangible, it bears no relation to the natural world. Dorf, in his exploration, presents a new reality that combines the hard, indisputable world of mathematics with a softer side of nature. In one image, the mapping of a mathematical surface onto a grassy hill captures the eye’s attention much more so than the delicate sprinkling of dandelions on the green. Another montage features an axis placed strategically to frame a broken branch that lies abandoned on the forest floor. Through juxtapositions such as these, Dorf encourages the bridging of a visual experience with an intelligent one.


