ZEST at British Science Festival 2026
The British Science Festival headed to Southampton for 2026 and ZEST were commissioned to deliver a unique creative workshop inspired by the crossovers in art and mathematics.
The workshop took place at Southampton City Art Gallery on the 19th of September and was led by ZEST artists Anna Marris, lucie smith, and our very own artist/ mathematician Elyzia Pyrite.
Collectively, we constructed a sculpture made entirely of Platonic solids decorated with writing and drawings of our most recent dreams. By the end of the workshop, we created a representation of the unconscious mind, tapping into an ancient, universal form of communication that relies on the foundation of these Platonic solids.
“Art and maths collide in this creative activity designed to interrogate the collective unconscious, the part of your mind thought to be shaped by instinct rather than personal experience.
Combine the creativity of paper folding with the geometry of 3D shapes and construct your own representation of your mind through the ancient practice of origami. Guided by artist Elyzia Pyrite and Southampton's ZEST Collective, explore the unconscious mind as a collective of natural human experience. Immerse yourself in the art of mathematics as you work with paper to co-create a large sculpture that continues to grow and change throughout the day.
Create one part of many. This is the Collective unconscious.”
- British Science Festival
3D scan of ‘Collective Unconscious’ made with Scaniverse
Special thanks to the British Science Festival for commissioning this workshop. Thank you to Southampton City Art Gallery for hosting this event.