Kelvin Tiles
(On Homogenous Division of Space)
2024, CNC Laser cut brass tiles, variable size
Michael WHITTLE
Tile design by Lord Kelvin (William Thomson)
(On Homogenous Division of Space)
2024, CNC Laser cut brass tiles, variable size
Michael WHITTLE
Tile design by Lord Kelvin (William Thomson)
About the Artwork:
On January 18th, 1884, Lord Kelvin, serving as the president of the Royal Society — a globally renowned and esteemed scientific academy — delivered a paper discussing the concept of homogeneous division, which involves dividing a volume of space into equal, similarly oriented cells. This research held significant implications for crystallography and various other scientific disciplines. Central to his discourse was the complex challenge of uniformly dividing space while preserving the unique boundaries of each individual partition.
In the paper Kelvin writes as an aside how “It would be easy, but not worth the trouble, to cut out a large number of pieces of brass of the shapes shown in these diagrams and to show them fitted together like the pieces of a dissected map.” For this project Kelvins comment are taken as a message in a bottle, and his instructions carried out 140 years later. The tiles have been computer designed and laser cut from sheets of brass, then “shown fitted together like the pieces of a dissected map.”
On January 18th, 1884, Lord Kelvin, serving as the president of the Royal Society — a globally renowned and esteemed scientific academy — delivered a paper discussing the concept of homogeneous division, which involves dividing a volume of space into equal, similarly oriented cells. This research held significant implications for crystallography and various other scientific disciplines. Central to his discourse was the complex challenge of uniformly dividing space while preserving the unique boundaries of each individual partition.
In the paper Kelvin writes as an aside how “It would be easy, but not worth the trouble, to cut out a large number of pieces of brass of the shapes shown in these diagrams and to show them fitted together like the pieces of a dissected map.” For this project Kelvins comment are taken as a message in a bottle, and his instructions carried out 140 years later. The tiles have been computer designed and laser cut from sheets of brass, then “shown fitted together like the pieces of a dissected map.”
Michael WHITTLE
Michael Whittle is an artist and researcher specializing in Diagrammatology, the study of diagrams. He previously qualification and training as a Biomedical Scientist, before changing subject to study fine art. His artistic practice incorporates images, ideas, and data from science, as well as dialogues with scientists about their research interests and motivations. Recent projects include ‘Butterfly on the Sun’, a large-scale installation for the 2022 Changwon Sculpture Biennale developed in consultation with astrophysicist David Hathaway of NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 2023, Whittle co-founded ‘Pollen’ with artist-technologist Atticus Sims, an AI-powered creative studio in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Associate Professor of Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Macau.
Michael Whittle is an artist and researcher specializing in Diagrammatology, the study of diagrams. He previously qualification and training as a Biomedical Scientist, before changing subject to study fine art. His artistic practice incorporates images, ideas, and data from science, as well as dialogues with scientists about their research interests and motivations. Recent projects include ‘Butterfly on the Sun’, a large-scale installation for the 2022 Changwon Sculpture Biennale developed in consultation with astrophysicist David Hathaway of NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 2023, Whittle co-founded ‘Pollen’ with artist-technologist Atticus Sims, an AI-powered creative studio in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Associate Professor of Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Macau.
William THOMSON
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, was a mathematical physicist and engineer who made foundational contributions to thermodynamics. He was a notable child prodigy, matriculating at the University of Glasgow at age ten before distinguishing himself at the University of Cambridge. His scientific practice combined rigorous theoretical physics with practical invention through collaborations with industrialists on major technological problems. A landmark project was his work as scientific advisor for the first transatlantic telegraph cable, for which he designed crucial instruments like the mirror galvanometer. Later, he co-founded Kelvin & James White Ltd., a Glasgow firm making precision scientific and maritime instruments. He served for over 50 years as Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow.
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, was a mathematical physicist and engineer who made foundational contributions to thermodynamics. He was a notable child prodigy, matriculating at the University of Glasgow at age ten before distinguishing himself at the University of Cambridge. His scientific practice combined rigorous theoretical physics with practical invention through collaborations with industrialists on major technological problems. A landmark project was his work as scientific advisor for the first transatlantic telegraph cable, for which he designed crucial instruments like the mirror galvanometer. Later, he co-founded Kelvin & James White Ltd., a Glasgow firm making precision scientific and maritime instruments. He served for over 50 years as Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow.
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