A talk for the IMA South West and Wales Branch given by Professor Alan Champneys CMath FIMA.
Abstract
Alan Champneys considers the creativity of the elusive Banksy. Reflecting on how art sprayed on walls is technically illegal leads us to a reflection on the role of rule-breaking and creativity in mathematics. Based on Champneys’s experience at an EPSRC creativity workshop, he argues that if we want to be creative, we, like Banksy, need to strip ideas down to their bare essentials and then break the rules. Of course, mathematics is fundamentally rules based, and departure from those rules can render our results meaningless. Often though, in mathematics just as in art, there are hidden assumptions or an over-reliance on accepted ways of thinking. It is argued that these barriers can stop us operating effectively in teams, both when doing maths and when promulgating the cause of the mathematical sciences.
Further Information
No charge is made to attend and booking is not required.
The talk begins at around 6.30pm, with refreshments for IMA members and guests beforehand from 6.00pm in the Theatre foyer.
Parking is available at the school site.
