Anne Burns
"Fractal Scene"
Digital print, 12" x 12", 2006.
"Iterated Mobius Transformations #10"
Digital print, 12" x 12", 2006.
Anne Burns
Professor of Mathematics, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548
"The thread that ties together my computer art work is the mathematical concept of recursion. Recursion is a technique in computer programming that can be used to implement replacement rules. In nature replacement rules abound. A single cell contains all the instructions for the cell to split; then the resulting cells split and so on. The branching of trees, the compounding of inflorescences, phyllotaxis, formation of clouds, terrains and mountains are all examples of a simple rule applied over and over again. In the mathematical technique of recursion a function calls itself two or more times; each time it creates multiple copies of itself. I enjoy using recursion to imitate nature in fractal mathscapes. I also enjoy creating abstract forms. Nature may suggest the rules, but the artist can abstract them and create attractive patterns resembling Persian rugs, quilts and other geometric designs. "