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Sienna Morris Makes Astounding Art with Data and Equations

Artist Sienna Morris is taught herself art. She taught herself science. And she created her “numberism technique” to express the beauty of math and science more visually. The result is incredible:

121514_Morris_HeartClick to enlarge.

These pieces can take anywhere from a week to seven months. Morris uses a magnifying glass to craft detailed drawings based wholly on her own research of the equations and data that represent her subjects. The heart above was created from data on the firing rates of heart nodes, the chemical composition of Norepinephrine, and equations for cardiac output, among other numbers/equations.

“I try to find data that tells a clear and striking story of the subject matter,” Morris told Nerdist in an email. “The numbers and equations are usually chosen based on how well they speak to the viewer about the complexity of the piece (like finding the right words to a story).”

121514_Morris_NebulaClick to enlarge.

Universal Proprioception,” above, is composed of the Einstein Field Equations, Schwartzchild radius, The Jeans Instability Equation and more.

“I focus more on studying science concept then formulas, but I find that numbers and equations are unrivaled in their ability to tell a complex story in beautifully concentrated bits of data,” Morris says.

Besides creating pieces that speak to the complexities of bodies and galaxies, Morris also has a nerdy side. “Prime Directive,” shown below, is a Star Trek homage made using prime numbers — numbers only divisible by themselves and 1 — from 2 to 13,099.

121514_Morris_DirectiveClick to enlarge.

And “Locutus” was created as an etching on steel using a diamond-tipped drill. It uses flocking algorithms (to illustrate a hive-mind), “Resistance is futile,” and other elements to capture Picard as a Borg spokesman.

121514_Morris_LocutusClick to enlarge.

Morris’ latest work might be her most intensive, and most brilliant. It took her 12 months of planning and two months of drawing to make “The Game is Afoot,” a numberism drawing of Sherlock Homes.

121514_Morris_SherlockClick to enlarge.

What makes this work special is that it is actually a puzzle made entirely out of letters and numbers that you can solve. Says Morris:

You are given a set of tools to solve the artwork which sets you on your path, including a book, a sealed envelope, and a magnifying glass. The collection is made of a series of different kinds of puzzles, and it would be impossible to solve the entire puzzle without locating the majority of the puzzles first. Solving the puzzles reveals parts of a 150 year old mystery. When you finish the puzzle, you receive a prize (which ties together everything you’ve experienced along the way), with the first three solvers receiving a special prize.

Thankfully, Morris also says that if you’ve ingested any of the TV shows, movies, or books, you should have a leg-up on other puzzle solvers. Morris plans a limited run of 100 puzzles, so if you wish to get in on the game, you better do it soon.

You can buy all of Morris’ works — from drawings to t-shirts to Sherlockian puzzles — here.

IMAGES: All images copyright Sienna Morris, reproduced with explicit permission.

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