Book talk
About
Join award-winning mathematician and Oxford professor, Marcus du Sautoy, in conversation as he looks to the arts to uncover the key mathematical structures that underpin both nature and human creativity.
In this bold and philosophical exploration of the human imagination, Marcus du Sautoy unpacks how we make art, why a creative mindset is vital for discovering new mathematics, and how a fundamental connection to the natural world intrinsically links these two subjects.
Blueprints (published May 2025) encourages us to consider the mathematics that bubble beneath craft, through the observation of the earliest stone circles to Mozart’s obsession with numbers and the radically modern architecture of Zaha Hadid. Whether we are searching for meaning in an abstract painting or finding patterns in poetry, there are blueprints everywhere: symmetry, prime numbers, the golden ratio and more.
A copy of the book will be available to purchase at the event.
Your host
Marcus du Sautoy is the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is author of 9 books and 2 plays and has presented numerous radio and TV series for the BBC. He works extensively with a range of arts organisations bringing science alive for the public from The Royal Opera House to the Glastonbury Festival.
Blueprints by Marcus du Sautoy
Book talk
Tickets
Members & Patrons: £15
This event is located within Supporters' House, available to House Members & Patrons.