Do Not Erase - by Jessica Wynne (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Even as other disciplines have moved toward using whiteboards and projectors in their teaching and research, the mathematics community has largely remained wedded to the chalkboard. Chalkboards are not only an important tool for mathematical thought, but also a mainstay of mathematical culture-so much so that mathematicians have been known to stockpile particular types of chalk. In Do Not Erase, photographer Jessica Wynne explores the role of the chalkboard in mathematics through a series of photographs of mathematicians' chalkboards and accompanying essays. This book pays homage to the mathematician's cherished chalk board as a means to unlocking mathematical creative expression. The photographs, of which there are approximately one hundred, provide a glimpse into the teaching, research, and creative work of mathematicians around the world, from the United States to Europe to Brazil. Each photograph is accompanied by an essay on the facing page, written by the mathematician whose chalkboard is featured in the photograph. The essays vary in length and style; they provide insights into each mathematician's work, background, and research process, and reflect on the chalkboard as a medium for mathematical expression. Taken together, the photos and essays convey both the conceptual and visual beauty of the discipline-as well as its diversity. In addition to the photographs and essays, the book will include biographical information about each mathematician and an introduction by the author"--

Book Synopsis

A photographic exploration of mathematicians' chalkboards

"A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns," wrote the British mathematician G. H. Hardy. In Do Not Erase, photographer Jessica Wynne presents remarkable examples of this idea through images of mathematicians' chalkboards. While other fields have replaced chalkboards with whiteboards and digital presentations, mathematicians remain loyal to chalk for puzzling out their ideas and communicating their research. Wynne offers more than one hundred stunning photographs of these chalkboards, gathered from a diverse group of mathematicians around the world. The photographs are accompanied by essays from each mathematician, reflecting on their work and processes. Together, pictures and words provide an illuminating meditation on the unique relationships among mathematics, art, and creativity.

The mathematicians featured in this collection comprise exciting new voices alongside established figures, including Sun-Yung Alice Chang, Alain Connes, Misha Gromov, Andre Neves, Kasso Okoudjou, Peter Shor, Christina Sormani, Terence Tao, Claire Voisin, and many others. The companion essays give insights into how the chalkboard serves as a special medium for mathematical expression. The volume also includes an introduction by the author, an afterword by New Yorker writer Alec Wilkinson, and biographical information for each contributor.

Do Not Erase is a testament to the myriad ways that mathematicians use their chalkboards to reveal the conceptual and visual beauty of their discipline--shapes, figures, formulas, and conjectures created through imagination, argument, and speculation.

Review Quotes

"Beautiful. . . . [This] book will also remain a monument for history, too."---Athanase Papadopoulos, zbMATH Open

"Do Not Erase . . . reveals the scribbles, workings and eureka moments of minds bursting with equations and theories, a paean to mental graft and the blackboards that display it. You can almost feel the tickle of dust in the nose, the thump of chalk on the board, the swish of a cuff brushing away a mistake."---Nicola Davis, The Observer

"[A] testament to the myriad ways that mathematicians use their chalkboards to reveal the conceptual and visual beauty of their discipline-shapes, figures, formulas, and conjectures created through imagination, argument, and speculation."-- "MathSciNet"

"[Wynne] forces us to look at the chalkboards themselves, to see them as documents or artifacts, without the irresistible distraction of human presence."---Brian Hayes, American Scientist

"American photographer Jessica Wynne's Do Not Erase captures the visual workings of mathematicians in producing formulas and illustrating their thoughts."---Cheyenne Darko, The Financial Times Snapshot

"An incredible, intense delight to read and study . . . Do Not Erase has become my favorite book to randomly explore."---Edward J. Valauskas, First Monday

"This is a wonderful mirror that Jessica Wynne shows us mathematicians of a world that is so very familiar when looking at it from the inside of our world of mathematics. . . . [that also] forces us to think in a different way about what we are doing day in and day out."---Adhemar Bultheel, MAA Reviews

"This is an original, elegant, if baffling book."---Andrew Robinson, Nature

"Winner of the PROSE Award in Popular Science and Mathematics, Association of American Publishers"

About the Author

Jessica Wynne is associate professor of photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Her photographs are in collections at the Morgan Library & Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and have been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, the New Yorker, and Fortune. Wynne is represented by Edwynn Houk Gallery and she lives in New York City. Twitter @jessicawynne6 Instagram @jessica___wynne Website www.jessicawynne.com