“Toposes in Mondovì” – Events for the general public

On the occasion of the international school and conference “Toposes in Mondovì” (3-11 September 2024), the Grothendieck Institute has organized two events for the general public, to explore the relations between mathematics and other disciplines, notably literature and music. 

The event “La ricerca dell’universale, tra matematica e letteratura” (6 September), with the participation of Fields Medalists Laurent Lafforgue and Alain Connes, of the well known writer Gianrico Carofiglio and of the mathematician and science disseminator Claudio Bartocci, proposed a dialogue between mathematics and literature inspired by the theme of universality, central in Alexander Grothendieck’s thinking, in its different forms and manifestations. 

The lecture-concert “Topoi e motivi, tra matematica e musica” (9 September), organized in collaboration with the renowned baroque orchestra Academia Montis Regalis, has instead explored the relations between mathematics and music: mathematician Olivia Caramello and harpsichordist and conductor Chiara Cattani have exchanged around the theme of symmetries and of the creation of forms from a unity, explaining its relevance both for mathematics and baroque music. To illustrate the principles covered in the lesson, pieces by Bach, Corelli, Sammartini and Vivaldi were performed.