Boredom under COVID quarantine led many to pursue some strange side hobby, but for 24 mathematicians and artists, it resulted in Mathemalchemy — a collective of mathematically (aesthetically, too) charming pieces of art — from cryptographic quilts, huge parabolas of embroidered spheres, crochet theta curves caught in fishing nets, and murals of OctoPi, seen generating various wave-related equations per every water ripple.

For the “Mathemalchemists,” their project is a lively, whimsical invitation into the world of mathematics, made for an audience of all ages and interests. The goal is to illustrate how math can be fun — not something schools force you to do, but something that leaves you inspired.

So, how did this project come to be? What makes Mathemalchemy so special, both for the Mathemalchemists and anyone that comes across the exhibition? In this podcast, Gayoung Lee goes behind the scenes of Mathemalchemy with co-founders Ingrid Daubechies and Dominique Ehrmann, in addition to Mathemalchemists Jessica Sklar, Elizabeth Paley and Carolyn Yackel.

MUSIC: “Pglet Into” by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0 “The Gran Dias” by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0 “Spring Cleaning” by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0