Artistic Equations - John Sims - Brief Article

The work of John Sims inspires viewers to ponder the symbiotic relationship between mathematics and art in radically new ways. As a mathematician, Sims convincingly illustrates that math can be a creative enterprise, negotiated in aesthetic terms. As an artist, he successfully translates mathematical ideas into art forms that are recognizable in our most intimate spaces.

Out of his wildly imaginative mind springs a cerebral art installation called "TimeSculpture." Employing vases, chess sets, chairs and clocks to explore concepts of space, conflict, relationships and time, "TimeSculpture" takes familiar objects, treats them as geometric configurations, and then proceeds to translate them into narratives that map our human experiences.

Look at the face of a clock, any clock, and imagine vases, chess sets, chairs and clocks placed metaphorically on the dial. Now think of them as signifying the cyclic nature of phenomena and thereby possessing infinite interpretations. Grasp this idea, and you'll begin to comprehend the essence of "TimeSculpture." Sims says that he chose the objects as symbols of the many spaces--geographical, political, economic and personal--that we inhabit and negotiate in our constant navigation through life.

So a vase ceases being simply a vase and instead is interpreted by Sims as a "container of space," with its geometric shape as a metaphor for ordered relationships. His vase sequence refers to unity and the ills of inflexibility and dogma.

On many levels, Sims' work speaks to the roles that we assume in relationships and the ways in which we confront or adapt to those roles. "Asymmetrical Chess Set" is one in a five-part sequence denoting conflict and the competition for space and resources. According to Sims, "its existing structure is designed to encode racist ideas about who's in power, who has access to power, the have and have-nots and the power imbalance that exists within human communities." "Chess Set for the Colorblind" is a cleverly constructed game in which none of the pieces can be identified by color.

Continuing to rupture old ways of interpretation, Sims uses chairs to encode really awful notions, such as "Electric Chair" and the absolute power of "The Throne." or he uses chairs as support structures for relationship building: "A two-dimensional chair meets another two-dimensional chair. They fall in love and expand their geometric form into a bench, symbolizing a family of chairs."

With an unbridled passion for developing "new meanings, new interpretations," Sims closes "TimeSculpture" with a series of clocks. Beginning with "Fertility Clock." this segment of the installation "represents the worship of a new beginning." Following the cyclic nature of life, "Traffic Clock" shows "the relationship among three modes of times: personal, community and global."

Sims, the coordinator of mathematics at the Ringling School of Art and Design, in Sarasota, Fla., will present his installation "Constructing the TimeSculpture" at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, Conn., from July 14 to September 9. Afterward, he plans to distribute the objects of "TimeSculpture" around New York City in the shape of a clock and to connect them by an elaborate lighting system "for the purpose of weaving together a diverse group of communities." His creative enterprise currently resides in the virtual community of http://www.timesculpture.com. "I want to take simple elements used in uncommon ways to introduce concepts of interaction and integration that inspire the imagination," he explains.

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