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THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED SYMMETRY STUDIES
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"Symmetrion" is an independent,
international, advanced study institute, founded
and maintained by the "International Symmetry
Foundation", and is associated with
the Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest.
It aims at promoting interdisciplinary and holistic studies,
bridging different disciplines, science and art, and
different cultures, as well as making the public acquainted
with the related recent achievements.
"Symmetrion" was established to implement the objectives of
the "Symmetry Foundation". According to the aims of the
"Foundation", the following projects have been performed or
launched:
(1.1) "Symmetrion" has been functioning since early 1991. It
is to be organized like the world-wide acknowledged Advanced
Study Institutes. According to a special bilateral
agreement, Symmetrion is associated with the Faculty of
Sciences of the Eotvos Lorand University Budapest, and
formed a "Joint Research Group" with the Department of
General Technics.
In order to promote research, a specialized documentation
center, the "Symmetrotheca" has been set up, collecting
publications or their reprints, which are nowhere available
in such a composition. (Symmetry related publications are
spread in many different disciplinary journals, where could
not be followed by all who are interested in the
cross-disciplinary applications of symmetry or symmetry breaking.)
The collection of the "Symmetrotheca" is increasing every
day, and is containing several thousand items.
(1.2) - (1.3) "ISIS-Symmetry" encourages its members all
over the world to perform interdisciplinary research, to
submit interdisciplinary and cross-cultural art-science
proposals to different funding agencies, and takes part
itself in the execution of such projects. "Symmetrion" pro-
vides a forum for the discussion, introduction, teaching,
exhibition, documentation, and publication of achievements,
(see below under paragraphs (2), (3), and (4)).
(1.4) "Symmetrion", as an Advanced Studies Institute -
inviting sponsors - intends to offer a few grants yearly.
This fellowship program aims at interdisciplinary research
`bridging': (a) different disciplines,
(b) science and art, and (c) different cultures.
(2.1) Following the congresses in Budapest, 1989 (Symmetry
of Structure), Hiroshima, 1992 (Symmetry of Patterns),
and Washington, 1995 (Symmetry: Natural and Artificial,
the program included also the celebrations of the 100th
anniversary of the birth of L. Moholy-Nagy and the 10th
anniversary of the first publication of the discovery of
real quasicrystals), regular triennial international sym-
metry congresses are planned (the next one in Haifa, 1998).
In the years between these comprehensive congresses, partly
regional, partly specialized meetings are organized (similar
to the 1987, 1988, and 1990 symmetry conferences in Arizona)
or co-organized, like the Symmetry in Modern
Crystallography symposium in Leningrad, 1991, the
Philosophy of Mathematics Today conference in Budapest,
1993, the Symmetry and Structure: Dialogue among
Disciplines symposium in Suva, Fiji, 1993, the Golden
Section and Problems of the Harmony of Systems in
Stavropol, 1994, the Katachi [Form] U Symmetry
conference in Tsukuba, 1994, the 2nd Conference on the
Foundations of Information Science in Vienna, 1996,
the Mathematics and Arts conference in Suzdal, 1996,
and the History of Symmetry session in Liege, 1997.
Similar to the first Symmetry Circle in Budapest,
satellite circles have been organized in several cities of
the world. Involving scientists and artists, they provide a
wide forum for discussion and lecture series for the general
public - promoting interdisciplinary understanding. The
Budapest Symmetry Circle had, e.g., - over dozens of local
invited speakers, - lecturers from Germany, Japan, Portugal,
Russia.
(2.2) "ISIS-Symmetry" follows the established tradition to
organize exhibitions related to its meetings
(Symmetry/Asymmetry exhibitions in Budapest, 1989,
including the main event in the National Gallery of Budapest
[former Royal Palace], Symmetry of Patterns at the
Synergetics Institute of Japan in Hiroshima, 1992, Form and
Symmetry, University of Tsukuba, 1994, Ars Scientifica,
in Alexandria VA, and Washington D.C. in the Atrium of AAAS,
1995.)
Over this tradition, a regular exhibition series,
Ars (Dis)Symmetrica, has been organized,
first in 1993, Budapest. The first exhibition took place
in the Water-tower Gallery on the Margaret Isle,
Budapest, June - July,
1993. The A(D)S exhibitions emphasize the relation of the
sciences and the arts. The main patron of the 1993
exhibition Ars (Dis)Symmetrica was the Deputy Mayor of the
city Budapest. "ISIS-Symmetry" acted as co-organizer of the
Buckminster Fuller centennial exhibition series held in
New York, 1995-96.
Some meetings are accompanied by 'artistic festivals',
representing several branches of the arts. All these
programs provide forums for dialogues among artists and
scientists.
(3.1) A special course on symmetry has been held for several
years at the Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest. There is a
real need for university level teaching of an artistic,
scientific, and cultural bridging (inter)discipline.
Symmetrion's regular undergraduate science-art
inter-faculty program in English, containing module blocks which
can be implemented at most universities, has been
elaborated, based on the experience gained during this
special course. The pilot program is given at the Faculty of
Sciences of the Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest.
(3.1-3.3) "Symmetrion" launched its first project which
aimed to develop an international and interdisciplinary art-
science training program, supplementing the General Studies
and STS (Science, Technology, Society) programs of various
universities. The "B.U.D.A.P.E.S.T." project: setting up the
Budapest Unit for Developing an Advanced Program for
European Symmetry Training. This project was sponsored by
the Commission of the European Communities.
(3.3) Textbooks and other teaching materials, such as
computer and video/audio programs, slides, catalogues, etc.
are developed by the members of "ISIS-Symmetry". They are to
be published by "Symmetrion".
(4.1) "Symmetry: Culture and Science", started in 1990, is
an intercultural and interdisciplinary
journal, edited by
the Board of ISIS-Symmetry and published by the "Symmetry
Foundation". It meets the need to build bridges
("symmetries") between various fields of arts and sciences.
Papers are addressed to a broad non-specialist public,
without becoming too general, and have an interdisciplinary
character, through either describing concrete
interdisciplinary 'bridges' between different fields of art,
science, and technology using the concept of symmetry, or
surveying the importance of symmetry (or the lack of
symmetry) in a concrete field with an emphasis on possible
'bridges' to other fields. "Symmetry: Culture and Science"
is published quarterly, in format B5, on 7 sheets (112
pages) each. Copies can be found in over forty countries, in
five continents.
(4.2) Extended abstracts - in some cases proceedings - of
most meetings of ISIS-Symmetry are published, cf. Darvas,
G., Nagy, D., eds., (1989) Symmetry of Structure, Extended
Abstracts, Budapest: ISIS-Symmetry, Vols. I and II, 656 p.;
Ogawa, T., Miura, K., Masunari, T., and Nagy, D., eds,
(1996) Katachi U Symmetry, Tokyo:
Springer-Verlag, 417 p.; Agazzi, E., Darvas G., eds.,
(1997) Philosophy of Mathematics Today, Episteme 22
(series ed., M. Bunge),
Dordrecht/Boston/London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, xxix +
361 p.; Darvas, G., Nagy, D. and Pardavi-Horvath, M., eds.,
(1995) Symmetry: Natural and Artificial, Extended
Abstracts, Symmetry: Culture and Science, 1-4 (Special
Issues), 1-676.
(4.3) Further volumes are planned to be edited on special
subjects, similar to the so far published collections of
essays Symmetry in a Kaleidoscope (1990), Symmetry and
Topology in Evolution (1993), Fractals (1993),
Origami (1994, introducing the effects of the
art and skill of Japanese paper folding on science,
architecture and Western
culture), Symmetry in Music (1994, 1996), Symmetry and
Information (1996, 1997). Further works, manuscripts,
achievements, etc. produced in the framework of
Symmetrion's programs will also be published.
(4.4) Textbooks, audio-visual teaching aids, etc. (mentioned
in paragraph (3.3)) are to be published to assist
Symmetrion's postgraduate schools and the undergraduate
university program. They aim at spreading interdisciplinary
approach and avoiding professional overspecialization.
(4.5) "Symmetrion" can fulfil its cultural mission, provided
that scientific and artistic programs are balanced in its
activity. This is reflected in its publication policy,
according to which the editing of the catalogues of its
exhibitions and the introduction of artists professing link
between science and art, play an equal role with the
scientific publications. The catalogue of the Ars
(Dis)Symmetrica '93 was published in 1994.
The name of the Institute, "Symmetrion", refers to the
Greek origin of the term symmetry: sym-metria.