Abstract

Symmetry: Culture and Science
Volume 36, Number 2, pages 117-118 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.26830/symmetry_2025_2_117

SYMMETRY IN CONTEXTS: FROM MATHEMATICS TO SOCIETY

Simone Brasili, Johan Gielis

Dear Readers,

The second issue of Volume 36 of the Symmetry: Culture and Science journal continues to explore symmetry as a conceptual and methodological tool across various domains, including mathematics, design, architecture, culture, and society.

The six articles encourage readers to consider symmetry as a dynamic principle that organizes human perception, knowledge, and social relations, in addition to being a formal geometric property.

The issue opens with Toni and Koya Chehlarova's contribution to instructional activities based on the Edwards–Venn six-set diagram. With applications in informal settings, such as museums, the article highlights the role of interactive digital tools in concept formation and how computer models can inspire creativity and visualization.

Disaya Chudasri et al. examine the Karen weavers of Northern Thailand's belt weaving customs in the context of cultural heritage and design. Their work is a prime example of the application of frieze symmetry in textile design, utilizing digital tools and ethnomathematics to create and implement textile patterns that preserve and transmit cultural knowledge.

Yasemin Turan shifts the focus to architectural heritage, exploring the geometric complexity of muqarnas in Anatolian Seljuk architecture.

The study examines the parametric modelling tools to analyse and reconstruct these intricate structures, thereby highlighting the importance of symmetry in architectural design.

Cristina Dalla Libera examines symmetry and asymmetry in the socio-cultural context, analysing power distance in Russia and Italy through Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions. By combining viewpoints from Eastern metaphysical models, such as Yin-Yang, with Western social science perspectives, her comparative method interprets symmetry and asymmetry in society.

Anna Godzich further explores symmetrical and asymmetrical behaviors and values in communication between Italians and Poles. Her contribution enriches our understanding of the cultural values that influence relational dynamics between countries.

Finally, Serena Gianfaldoni and Pietro Balestri propose a conceptual and applied study of symmetry and asymmetry in professional life. Tracing these patterns from primary socialization through education to the workplace, they offer a minute view of symmetry and asymmetry, not as morally defined categories, but as contextual tools that structure social relations and individual experience.

We are very proud to continue presenting symmetry as a powerful lens for organizing and interpreting the world, including visual, conceptual, cultural, and relational structures, organizing and interpreting the world.

We thank all our authors and the community for contributing to the reaffirmation of the study of symmetry, not just an academic endeavour but also a key to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the systems in which we live.