CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- They might evoke anxiety more than appreciation in some of us, but a new book explores the beauty in mathematical equations.
WBBM Newsradio’s Nancy Harty reports the author of the photography book, “Do Not Erase,” was inspired by two University of Chicago professors and takes a look at an unusual canvas – the chalkboards of mathematicians.
Photographer Jessica Wynne became fascinated by the work and mathematical minds of University of Chicago professors Amie Wilkinson and Benson Farb, and wanted to find a way to document it.
All three are professors and friends who spend summers vacationing in Cape Cod.
"I became fascinated by their work and the world that they exist in, and I thought it would be really interesting to document what they do," Wynne said.
Wynne teaches photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.
She became entranced by what she calls "the inaccessible language and beauty of math," and inspiration struck on a study abroad trip in India where she saw chalkboards on the roof of a school.
"The materiality of working on the board was really interesting. Everybody had really distinct styles and ways of using their chalk," Wynne said.
From there, she photographed chalkboards of math experts in the U.S., France, and Brazil. Some wrote out their most famous formulas - one was a puzzle left up for five years.
"He wanted to sort of come into his office and see it every day, because it was a complex problem he was trying to work out, so he felt like he wanted to have it up on the wall, so when he came into work he could look at it and contemplate it," Wynne said.
The book, "Do Not Erase," came out in June. The pages feature dusty chalkboards with half-erased formulas and symbols – something she compares to abstract paintings.
"I kind of went into it with that relationship of being comfortable with the inaccessibility of the formulas on the board," Wynne said.
You can find Jessica Wynne on Instagram at @jessica___wynne.
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