There is a strong correlation between math and art that is often forgotten. The golden ratio has been studied for centuries and has helped with aesthetics and composition in all aspects of art. Its use was widely adopted during the Renaissance period for those purposes and was also discovered in nature. Conspiracy theorists even ponder the layout of our fair city is due to one of the many formulas and geometric shapes that are derived using the ratio. In The Numbers Behind, now at Flashpoint Gallery, Michael Dax Iacovone uses numbers and formulas to document space and time in D.C., not for aesthetic purposes but for the pleasure of the process.

Iacovone's pictures are large, black and white overlays of his favorite areas in D.C. The images are of familiar areas of the District that blur and crowd each other on the page. His compositions are based on geometry and the overlay is done purposely. This requires much time and research. To achieve this, he starts by studying particular areas by consulting maps. He derives a formula and a set of rules and guidelines for documenting it. Once at the particular area, he follows his rules exactly and shoots accordingly. He often shoots from his chest, not using the viewfinder of the camera. All of the photographs are overlapped in camera and he develops the film as such to create long compositions that take up as much wall space as possible.

His process is long and arduous but he revels in it. He develops dozens of diagrams and enjoys studying maps and the shapes that intersections make as well as coming up with equations to shoot. "Once I have the equation and routes, then the shoot is secondary. I'm excited to see what comes of it but it is about the process," he said.

Iacovone has been a photographer for many years. He often found himself in beautiful places documenting beautiful things using his eye for composition. When his work was critiqued by his peers, they would talk about the beautiful places and "nothing to do with me," he said. He was always focused on composition but wanted to create his own process for creativity.

In his photo of Mt. Pleasant Street (pictured above), Iacovone thought about how he could divide up the street to be of interest. On the photo are his notes that show his journey on the street, including the direction of each of his shots. Each are labeled and the time is documented in the final print. The result is an explanation of how the shoot went and what direction each of the shots is from. The addition of the time stamps include the viewer in the time frame that Iacovone used to complete his formula.

The largest piece in the show is a long continuous overlap shot of the D.C. border. The piece is 36 feet long; as big a print as the space would allow. Iacovone wanted to document the whole city on one film. To accomplish this he researched the border and learned about the historic boundary stones and did a lot of math and preparation to be able to fit the shoot of the boundary on one roll of film. He took one day in July, which he called "hellish," rented a car, and started at one end and followed the District line. Iacovone photographed the boarder line, but instead of looking into the District, each shot is looking away from the city. The result is a diverse line of photographs of homes and buildings and cars and highways. The overlay gives a sense of movement and forward motion. Iacovone also included his notes and time stamps from his journey on top of the print. There is also a separate map that shows where Iacovone actually went during that day, including all of his wrong turns.

On the back wall is a simple line drawing of an example of one of his formulas. It shows how each location, in a series, was chosen to document. Seven lines shoot out from a singular point creating spokes on a wheel. Each line is numbered, counterclockwise, and each is longer than the last, reminiscent of the Fibonacci sequence. When asked about this and the relationship between math and art, Iacovone responded that that particular formula was "similar to Fibonacci but not quite." He seemed reluctant to be associated with anything that could be considered "traditional" about his work, as he has made it a point to reject his training and the rules, such as the golden ratio, that he was forced to learn.

Image courtesy of the artist.

The Numbers Behind is on display now through August 23 at Flashpoint Gallery. The gallery is located at 916 G St NW and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m.