EXPERIENCING SHUNYA Andrea Bozzi art painter

EVENTS

EXPERIENCING SHUNYA

WORKSHOP

"EXPERIENCING SHUNYA" ... ...derives from our request to Andrea to come up with a logo for our company with a single brush stroke exploration of symbols for "Shunya". In mathematics the closest you get to nothing is the null set wich denotes other set like: the set of all pii dogs who collect art; the set of square circles etc. The null set however is not zero. Zero is a number wich denotes the number of members of the null set. This isn't a mathematical exhibition, so we won't get cross eyed about the numerical nature of emptyness. It's the manifestation of a visual artist, who has being practicing his craft for decades, exploring the possibilities of creating something out of nothing with a single brush stroke. It was a functional exercise. We have found our logo! It has also become a "light" metaphisical exercise in wich we invite you to participate. Of course there is nothing new about exploring nothing visually. Ad Reinhardt painted all blue, all red and finally five feet by five feet all black canvas. Robert Rauschenberg painted all withe canvases. Henry Moore explored the aesthetic of holes... VIKRAM SUNDARJI. Shunya Consultancy

We must know that the Indians have a most subtle talent and all other races yield to them in arithmetic and geometry and the other liberal arts. And this is clear in the 9 figures with which they are able to designate each and every degree of each order (of numbers). And these are the forms 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 \|\|\|------------------------

The introduction of ZERO (SHUNYA) into the decimal system was the most significant achievement in the development of a number system, in which calculation with large numbers became feasible. Without the notion of zero, the descriptive and prescriptive modeling processes in commerce, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and industry would have been unthinkable. The oldest known text to use zero is a Jain manuscript entitled the Lokavibhaaga, dated 458 AD. It was first introduced to the world centuries later by Al-Khwarizmi, the founder of several branches of mathematics. The first apparent appearance of a symbol for zero appears in 876 in India on a stone tablet in Gwalior. Documents on copper plates, with the same small "o" in them, dated back as far as the sixth century AD, abound. The indian numerals and the positional number system were introduced to the islamic civilization. It was only centuries later, 12th century, that the indian numeral system was introduced to the western world. In italy, at that time, the middle age, Giotto did that famous "o" of Giotto. The Hindu merchants of yore followed certain simple mathematical rules. If someone was in debt, the numbers should be negative, and if money was due to him, the numbers should be positive. If it was neither, the numbers would add up to zero. This introduced the concept of ‘nothing' which is what ‘shunya' is all about. But for quite sometime, this was a mystifying concept to Non-Hindu cultures. In the Indian context, however, it was not something new. In Buddhist Mathematics for example, numbers were of three types: _Sankheya ( countable) _Asankehya (Innumerable) _Anant (Infinite) Philosophical speculations about emptiness, might have given meaning and impetus, to the concept of zero. Indian philosophy held the view that: _Material world was an illusion (Maya) _One must strive to detach and renounce the Material world. (Tyaga) _The goal was to merge and unite with the formless Brahman (Nirvana) Brahman was Pujya or Holy; but Brahman was also void, and this probable explains why the mathematical concept of zero got a philosophical connotation of reverence. Zero was incidentally first known as Pujyam in early Sanskrit texts. This was however replaced by the more mundane ‘SHUNYA' The concept of ‘emptiness' was alien to other cultures, so when this philosophical concept was applied in the mathematical context, it was not only revolutionary, but also mystifying. Interaction between Hindus and Arabs resulted in the latter, adopting the Indian numeration in the 10th Century. The Arabs however changed the Sanskrit word ‘SHUNYA' to ‘SIFR' but when the 12th century, Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci after studying Arabian algebra, introduced the Hindu-Arabic numerals in Italy, they however Latinized the Arabic word ‘SIFR' to ‘ZEPHIRUM'. This over time became zero. In Germany and England however the metamorphosis took a different turn. In Germany when Jordanus Nemaririus introduced the Arabic system of numerals, he retained the original Arabic word, but modified it to CIFRA'. In England however the word CIFRA became CIPHER. In the early period the new numeration incorporating ZERO was looked upon as a secret sign by the common people. In fact the word ‘decipher' clearly reveals the enigma associated with it.
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"EXPERIENCING SHUNYA" ...

...derives from our request to Andrea to come up with a logo for our company with a single brush stroke exploration of symbols for "Shunya".

In mathematics the closest you get to nothing is the null set wich denotes other set like: the set of all pii dogs who collect art; the set of square circles etc. The null set however is not zero. Zero is a number wich denotes the number of members of the null set. This isn't a mathematical exhibition, so we won't get cross eyed about the numerical nature of emptyness. It's the manifestation of a visual artist, who has being practicing his craft for decades, exploring the possibilities of creating something out of nothing with a single brush stroke. It was a functional exercise. We have found our logo! It has also become a "light" metaphisical exercise in wich we invite you to participate. Of course there is nothing new about exploring nothing visually. Ad Reinhardt painted all blue, all red and finally five feet by five feet all black canvas. Robert Rauschenberg painted all withe canvases. Henry Moore explored the aesthetic of holes...

VIKRAM SUNDARJI. Shunya Consultancy

We must know that the Indians have a most subtle talent and all other races yield to them in arithmetic and geometry and the other liberal arts. And this is clear in the 9 figures with which they are able to designate each and every degree of each order (of numbers). And these are the forms

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 |||------------------------

The introduction of ZERO (SHUNYA) into the decimal system was the most significant achievement in the development of a number system, in which calculation with large numbers became feasible. Without the notion of zero, the descriptive and prescriptive modeling processes in commerce, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and industry would have been unthinkable.

The oldest known text to use zero is a Jain manuscript entitled the Lokavibhaaga, dated 458 AD. It was first introduced to the world centuries later by Al-Khwarizmi, the founder of several branches of mathematics. The first apparent appearance of a symbol for zero appears in 876 in India on a stone tablet in Gwalior. Documents on copper plates, with the same small "o" in them, dated back as far as the sixth century AD, abound.

The indian numerals and the positional number system were introduced to the islamic civilization. It was only centuries later, 12th century, that the indian numeral system was introduced to the western world. In italy, at that time, the middle age, Giotto did that famous "o" of Giotto.

The Hindu merchants of yore followed certain simple mathematical rules. If someone was in debt, the numbers should be negative, and if money was due to him, the numbers should be positive. If it was neither, the numbers would add up to zero. This introduced the concept of ‘nothing' which is what ‘shunya' is all about. But for quite sometime, this was a mystifying concept to Non-Hindu cultures. In the Indian context, however, it was not something new.

In Buddhist Mathematics for example, numbers were of three types:

_Sankheya ( countable)
_Asankehya (Innumerable)
_Anant (Infinite)

Philosophical speculations about emptiness, might have given meaning and impetus, to the concept of zero. Indian philosophy held the view that:

_Material world was an illusion (Maya)
_One must strive to detach and renounce the Material world. (Tyaga)
_The goal was to merge and unite with the formless Brahman (Nirvana)

Brahman was Pujya or Holy; but Brahman was also void, and this probable explains why the mathematical concept of zero got a philosophical connotation of reverence. Zero was incidentally first known as Pujyam in early Sanskrit texts. This was however replaced by the more mundane ‘SHUNYA'

The concept of ‘emptiness' was alien to other cultures, so when this philosophical concept was applied in the mathematical context, it was not only revolutionary, but also mystifying. Interaction between Hindus and Arabs resulted in the latter, adopting the Indian numeration in the 10th Century.

The Arabs however changed the Sanskrit word ‘SHUNYA' to ‘SIFR' but when the 12th century, Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci after studying Arabian algebra, introduced the Hindu-Arabic numerals in Italy, they however Latinized the Arabic word ‘SIFR' to ‘ZEPHIRUM'. This over time became zero.

In Germany and England however the metamorphosis took a different turn. In Germany when Jordanus Nemaririus introduced the Arabic system of numerals, he retained the original Arabic word, but modified it to CIFRA'. In England however the word CIFRA became CIPHER.

In the early period the new numeration incorporating ZERO was looked upon as a secret sign by the common people. In fact the word ‘decipher' clearly reveals the enigma associated with it.