From the Art of Engineering to the Engineering of Art
Interview with Joseph Yudovsky

An engineer’s lifelong pursuit of beauty, balance, and precision — now expressed through geometric sculpture.

Introduction

The following reflections grew out of an interview about my transition from engineering to art. My answers lie somewhere between a conversation and a small philosophical essay — closer to a friendly talk.

From High-Tech to Sculpture

I hold two advanced degrees in Mechanical Engineering — a Ph.D. and a Doctor of Science — and have authored more than 100 patents and multiple publications on unique mechanical systems, some developed before the digital age. After 25 years in the semiconductor industry, where I led the creation of several chipmaking machines used worldwide, I retired from engineering to dedicate myself to geometric sculpture.

Since childhood I’ve been an amateur woodcrafter with a love for tools, materials, and the joy of shaping forms. Over time, my engineering work nurtured a strong sense of beauty — both in the symmetry of a mechanism and in the harmony of its function. For me, a piece of art was always the highest goal of design.

Today, the same analytical skill, knowledge of fabrication, and pursuit of beauty have found a new expression in sculpture. It feels like a continuation rather than a change — I do the same as before, only the object has changed.

The Art of Engineering has turned into the Engineering of Art.

Wisdom from the Artistic Process

Creating without external pressure proved far more challenging — and rewarding — than working under it. Pressure limits choices and provides excuses; freedom removes them, demanding that you define your own goals and face the infinite range of possibilities without external guidance.

True freedom, artistic or otherwise, demands capability and courage to follow one’s convictions. It offers the purest reward: achievement or learning born entirely from one’s own creative will.

Freedom is not the absence of structure — it is the ability to create your own. In both art and engineering, discipline transforms freedom into creation.

Inspiring the Next Generation

To spark curiosity in children, I would start with simple geometry: sacred patterns, the Fibonacci sequence, the Möbius strip, and compass-based geometric art. By drawing and building such forms, children gain a natural feel for harmony and mathematical structure — and they develop hands-on skills that reach beyond the computer.

The next step is creating in 3D. With tutorials and creativity, moving from imitation to invention is quick—each achievement is rewarding.

A child who learns to build beauty also learns to think structurally — the foundation of both art and science.

Where Math Meets Art

For those who doubt that geometric sculpture is real art, I would say: logic and imagination are twin ways of understanding reality and shaping it anew. At first they appear opposite — one rational, one emotional — yet they strengthen each other. Seeing art in logic and logic in art opens a deeper vision.

Algorithms do not kill inspiration; they refine it. Mathematics is a tool that empowers the artist, transforming precision into poetry and structure into meaning.

Logic and imagination are not opposites but mirrors. When they meet, mathematics becomes poetry — and art becomes structure.

My work is far from artificial intelligence, but AI is coming. We should be prepared, not scared — and art can help approach that future with creativity rather than fear. By revealing the logic of beauty and the beauty of logic, my art shows that intelligence — whether human or artificial — can serve harmony instead of replacing it.

Closing Reflection

Whether through machines, sculpture, or poetry, my life’s work explores one question:
How does science create art — and how does art reflect science?

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