OCCULTO TEXTS
EDITORIAL ISSUE √-1
Most people don't get that easily excited about a number -
unless perhaps some symbol like $ or € appears right nearby.
Still, several valuable minds in history made a lot of fuss
about specific numbers and their meaning. An especially
conspicuous and long-standing sensation occurred about i,
the famous (and infamous) square root of -1. Descartes was
disgusted by it, regarded it as a forced artifact and spitefully
called it an imaginary number (surprisingly, as he was so
fond of other kinds of artifact.) Cardano did found √-1 by
solving an equation but considered the use of such a number
a "mental torture." In 1777, Euler introduced the symbol i
and made that controversial number look a little less scary to
all of us.
The name imaginary sticked to i and we are thankful, for it's
a beautiful name that makes us dream. The intercourse between
an imaginary number and a real one creates a complex
number. To push the language of mathematics straight into a
more trivial matter, a printed one to be precise, might sound
inappropriate but the temptation is strong. Young Torless,
among others, paved our way regarding i.
Occulto issue √-1 starts by affirming that "no such thing as
heliocentrism really exists", goes on reporting of someone
who has been accused of "algebraic terrorism", and ends
just like this: "For heaven's sake, don't try to be cynical. It's
perfectly easy to be cynical."
The issue is structured in four sections which, if they were
to be named, could be outlined as science, history, the visual
arts and literature. An artist's project in three parts comes in
between the various sections. You haven't heard the whole
story though. Artists explore the sky and tell you about the
atomic bomb. Scientists are talking about seminal electronic
avant-garde music, and thanks to digital imaging techniques
they are showing you beauty such as you haven't seen in
art galleries for a while. The author who introduces you
to the scientific concept of aether is actually an artist and
performer. A contemporary art exhibition makes us jump
into a dark side of Italian history. Unexpected connections
between Steiner and the Milanese airport of Linate are being
revealed. Identification of the living Antichrist and the
analysis of people's urine prove to have a great influence on
political and legal matters. You are even asked to read footnotes
extirpated from their main text.
The fuss is over: i has found its way and has important applications
in scientific fields such as fluid dynamics, quantum
mechanics, cartography and signal processing.
