Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
Over the last decade or so, the inherent beauty and elegance of maths has proven fertile territory for video artists looking to put their keen eyes, exacting minds and technical wizardry on display. But as the old proverb goes and this 1966 short film shows, there is nothing new under the sun. A classic production from the National Film Board of Canada, this short animated film sets some 300 transformations, divisions and subdivisions of triangles to a piano waltz, making for a viewing experience that still enchants 50 years later.
Director: René Jodoin
video
Earth science and climate
The only man permitted in Bhutan’s sacred mountains chronicles humanity’s impact
22 minutes
video
Cosmology
The Indian astronomer whose innovative work on black holes was mocked at Cambridge
13 minutes
video
Art
‘If you’re creative, why can’t you create a solution?’ One artist’s imaginative activism
17 minutes
video
Ethics
For Iris Murdoch, selfishness is a fault that can be solved by reframing the world
6 minutes
video
Death
A hunter’s lyrical reflection on the humbling business of being mortal
6 minutes
video
Love and friendship
After his son’s terrorist attack, Azdyne seeks healing – and his granddaughter
25 minutes
video
Astronomy
Seven years later, what can we make of our first confirmed interstellar visitor?
59 minutes
video
Physics
Is it possible to design a shape to roll along any fixed path?
4 minutes
video
Art
More than breathtaking, ‘The Birth of Venus’ signalled an aesthetic revolution
19 minutes