“We want to create something together that neither of us could alone”

When Mark Pauly goes to an art museum, he often finds inspiration for a new research project. “I want to know how the artist did that and whether there are some underlying mathematical or geometric principles.”

So it’s no surprise that Pauly was interested in inviting artists to work in his laboratory. The first artist, Alison Martin, did a direct residency with the Geometric Computing Laboratory. She came to campus in spring 2023 and created el.ba, a sculptural exploration of minimal forms that explores how flexible beams and elastic fabric can be shaped in a delicate balance of forces. She also worked with Pauly on the BamX! project and co-created several bamboo pavilions in Lausanne and Quito, Ecuador.

Pauly then selected Josua Putzke, a Berlin-based artist, to join his lab in early 2024 as part of the College of Humanities Artist-in-Residence program “Enter the Hyper-Scientific”. Putzke, a creator working with the tools of art, design, science and traditional crafts, draws much inspiration from the universal language of geometry - making him and Pauly a natural match.

“I have been super lucky with both Alison and Josua,” says Pauly. “This is the dream outcome.”

For Putzke, the experience was also serendipitous. “I just had finished a big chapter in my life after closing a design studio that was getting all my energy for many years,” he says. “After contemplating where to focus my energy, I decided to revisit a project about geometry that was waiting in the drawer since my diploma thesis. Just as I fully committed to it, the 'Enter the Hyper-Scientific' open call was published, and then I received Mark’s email confirming that my project had been selected. I took it as a sign that this was the right path leading into the next chapter.”

Enthusiasm and mutual inspiration

Putzke’s residency took place over three months from March through May. During that time, he was embedded in Pauly’s lab, spending his time in the group’s workspace, talking with the researchers, and building things together.

“It was really great to experience Mark’s enthusiasm for the topics he and the lab are working on,” Putzke says. “The team is very motivated and it was a great inspiration to see how they approach topics and develop tools in their processes. It was a gift to have the time, the budget, the support from the lab team and the facilities to focus on realizing what had been on my mind for a long time.”

This sense of enthusiasm and inspiration was mutual, as Pauly and his team have begun developing new areas of research thanks to their collaboration with the artists. Putzke’s original concept for his artwork stemmed from his diploma thesis, where he explored modular synergetic systems. He envisioned creating a kinetic “breathing sphere" and the use of motion in his work, in turn, inspired Pauly and his team as well.

“One of the newer areas that we are now beginning to explore in greater depth is the motion component itself,” says Pauly.

He and his team are now investigating the mathematical properties of polyhedral shapes, in line with the forms Putzke introduced with his kinetic installation, and are currently writing a conference paper based on these findings. Their research includes insights into how the duality of Platonic Solids—such as dodecahedron and icosahedron— can be realized in one object that maintains a coherent, interconnected structure throughout the transformation between states.

“Now we have to look at the math to see if it adds up,” Pauly says. “And that is quite interesting because it was not something we were initially looking for at all. That is something important for me in these type of collaborations with artists. We want to create something together that neither of us could achieve alone. So we’ve enabled the artist to transcend their capabilities, and we have gained insights that we didn’t have before and probably wouldn’t have arrived at on our own.”

“Looking at the same thing from different angles and directions”

The artwork that Putzke created during his residency will be exhibited from October 18 – November 9 at Pavilions A, with an opening on October 17. The exhibition Aetherocohdron is a kinetic installation, an imposing polyhedron suspended in space, constantly transforming while maintaining a coherent structure.

They named this new class of geometric structures Aetherocohedra, a compound word of ‘Aether,’ ‘Co,’ and ‘Hedra.’

“In ancient Greek mythology and early physics, Aether was believed to be the fifth element, a pure, ethereal substance that is interwoven throughout the cosmos. ‘Co’ introduces the principle of dynamic coherence in continuity, and ‘Hedra’ refers to polyhedra, like the Platonic Solids,” explains Putzke. “This synthesis creates a powerful symbol that encapsulates ancient wisdom, geometric principles, and modern concepts of interconnectedness and correlation.”

Putzke continues: “Science and art are some of the ways to express that and have always co-evolved. Art is inspired by scientific findings just as artists sometimes foresee or intuit dynamics and developments that are later proven scientifically. I believe all sciences and all arts, just as spiritual searchers and curious open minds that are truly working towards making sense of all aspects of reality as we experience it, are essentially looking at the same thing from different angles and perspectives.”