Soap Bubbles in Art and Science: From the Past to the Future of Math Art

The author examines the parallel history of soap bubbles and soap films in art and science. Noting that mathematicians in particular have been intrigued by their complex geometry, he traces the research in this field from the first experiments by Joseph Plateau in the late nineteenth century to recent work using computer graphics in the theory of minimal surfaces. He identifies the beginnings of what could be called ‘Math Art’.