::: nerdart :::
Society seems to agree on what a nerd looks like. But what is a nerd? A socially inept individual who excels in one more or less technical area? In an area which society does not understand?
Yet if you ask seasoned mathematicians or experienced coders, what they strive for, you will hear words from a different realm – words like “Beauty”, or “Style”. A correct proof in Mathematics is still a proof, but to be regarded a master piece it must be “elegant” as well.
So who is a nerd? Would you call Mozart a nerd? In today’s terms he might be viewed as such - prodigy children are usually seen a bit nerdy these days. Or Bach? After all he did mathematics in music. Or Goethe, the scientist/writer?
Clearly “nerd” is a social category, as is “artist”. Social standards define who is a nerd and who is an artist. We present to you the nerd, the artist, ourselves, as one. Which at the bottom of things is not a different side at all. Which is in each and everyone of us.
Or as fellow nerd Beuys put it: “EVERY HUMAN BEING IS AN ARTIST.” And possibly even a nerd?