India is the cradle of cultures and traditions that predate the West by centuries. In various regions, the design of domestic offerings is common, using traditional materials and methods. in the region of Tamil Nadunear the modern metropolises of Chennai and Madurai, the tradition of kolam (a word that means «beauty», but also «symmetry»), which has been taught from mothers to daughters for generations.
After cleaning the threshold of the house in the morning, the women take a little rice flour and are dedicated to creating an ephemeral work of art. Small dots serve as axes to build floral and geometric patterns, reminiscent of mathematical fractals.
It is an art form with deep religious and mythological roots. The artist hunches over her back as if she is praying, as she watches her creation grow at her feet. The kolam It is a symbolic offering to the goddess Lakshmi (or Laksmi)which blesses homes with the prosperity of the food offered.
According to the researcher Vijaya Nagarajanprofessor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Francisco, the kolam it is a religious metaphor for natural cycles. According to Nagarajan, in Hindu mythology devotees are said to have a «karmic obligation» to «feed a thousand souls». This ritual of generosity reminds that the souls they feed are not only human: birds and insects can feast here.
Pictorial languages and artificial intelligence
Scientists have studied the tradition of kolam both in its ritual context and in its display of advanced mathematical concepts. According to Marcia Aschera professor of mathematics at Ithaca College, this is «an unusual example of the expression of mathematical ideas in a cultural context.»
The shapes and patterns of the kolam they do not function as graphs or vectors; however, some researchers equate these traditional designs to models such as the sierpinski trianglea fractal that is formed from the repetition of equilateral triangles.
The placement of the main points guarantees the symmetry of the composition
The kolam has also been studied as a programming language, capable of compressing information through formal rules and basic structures. By training artificial intelligences to reproduce kolamscomputer scientists have learned a lot about the applied pictorial language.
Although it is a fascinating cultural expression, traditions such as the kolamthe rangoli or the aripanapracticed in the different regions of India, are faced with the lack of interest of the youth and with urban ways of life that leave little space on public roads to practice them.
Although the designs are often documented in books (including some made by the families that make them), there are festivals such as Margazhi where special attention is paid to kolam. Women who practice it describe it as a source of health and creativity. According to Nagarajan, it is also «a powerful vehicle for Tamil women’s self-expression», capable of «articulating desires, concerns, sensitivities and suffering, and ultimately affirming the power with which women have been blessed to create a reality.» desired: a happy and healthy home.
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