About Polymath

Polymath is an independent magazine about the place where art and science meet. We write for the reader who never accepted that the two are separate worlds: the painter curious about optics, the physicist who loves a well-made sentence, the designer who reads biology for ideas.

The word polymath names a person at home in many disciplines. Leonardo da Vinci is the archetype, but the type is everywhere once you look: the composer who studies acoustics, the architect who studies forces, the data scientist with a painter's eye. This magazine is built around their habit of mind.

What we cover

Our work is organized into four departments. The Big Ideas covers the thinkers and arguments behind artscience. Art Made from Science looks at new mediums, from bio-art to generative algorithms. Mind & Perception asks how the brain decides what is beautiful. Design & the Built World traces how nature, mathematics, and materials shape what we make.

How we work

Essays are written and edited by the Polymath desk. We are citation-minded: names, dates, and claims are checked, and we do not invent quotes or attribute words to people who did not say them. We are independent, and we are not affiliated with the former Cafe ArtScience restaurant, with Le Laboratoire, or with any university or institution. Read more about our stance in the manifesto, or reach us through the contact page.