In ‘The Study of Mathematics’, Bertrand Russell wrote: ‘Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty.’ This is the idea underlying Ars Qubica by the Spanish 3D animator and illustrator Cristóbal Vila. A fluid sensory experience that unites music, mathematics, art and design, the video deconstructs patterns and motifs in art to reveal how beauty emerges from ‘geometric skeletons’.
Discover the secret geometry of beauty – the mathematics of form and pattern
Director: Cristóbal Vila

videoDesign and fashion
Beyond fortune-telling – the enduring beauty and allure of tarot
16 minutes

videoHistory of ideas
How to read ‘The School of Athens’ – a triumph of Renaissance art
25 minutes

videoArt
Finding the spirit of Haiti through a tour of its contemporary art
20 minutes

videoWar and peace
The extraordinary craft and fascinating symbolism of a pre-Incan ceremonial shield
3 minutes

videoMathematics
After centuries of trying, we’ve yet to arrive at a perfect way to map colour
20 minutes

videoHistory of science
Insect aesthetics – long viewed as pests, in the 16th century bugs became beautiful
8 minutes

videoMusic
A riveting audiovisual dive into what makes sounds harmonious, or not
28 minutes

videoNature and landscape
After independence, Mexico was in search of identity. These paintings offered a blueprint
15 minutes

videoMathematics
Spiral into the ‘golden ratio’ – and separate the myths from the maths
4 minutes