Off Balance | Vidya Jaishankar

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Vidya Lalgudi Jaishankar

Off- Balance,

Acrylic on canvas, 6' x 6' x 6'

This artwork emphasises the imbalance created in the ecosystem due to the increasing number of endangered species, with the population within each species decreasing.

Equilateral triangle, across many cultures and ancient philosophies, symbolises stability and equilibrium. This work threads the mathematical concepts of Sierpinski triangle, constructed from Pascal’s triangle and Golden ratio. Golden ratio, found in Fibonacci sequence is derived by inscribing the Sierpinski triangle within an imaginary circle. The work area is represented as an inverted equilateral triangle, which together with the displaced upper triangle (disrupting the said imaginary circle) emphasises the imbalance.

The recursive progression of Sierpinski (equilateral) triangle towards zero is metaphoric to the decreasing population within each endangered species. Around 200 species which are vulnerable, endangered or extinct are painted on the said equilateral triangular surface area (constructed using 10 equilateral triangles).

References

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Pickover, Clifford A. "On the aesthetics of Sierpinski gaskets formed from large Pascal's triangles." Leonardo (1990): 411-417.

List of illustrated species

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