Poland celebrates 25 years of freedom with Sierpinski Tree Sculpture

To celebrate Poland’s 25 years of freedom from communism as well as its 15th anniversary since joining the EU, a unique sculture in the shape of a tree has been installed at London Southbank this August. ‘The Sierpinski Tree’ was inspired by a fractal called ‘The Sierpinski Triangle’ constructed by distinguished Polish mathematician Waclaw Sierpiński, 99 years ago. With its complex mathmatical design, the crown of the tree represents endless density, in contrast to the branches, which are delicatly thin. The distinctive works of Waclaw Sierpiński are still fascinating to mathematicians all over the world today.

A fractal is a geometrical figure, each part of which has the same statistical character as the whole. We come across fractals in our everyday life (in snowflakes, ferns and even coastlines) but scientists became especially interested in them at the end of the 20th century. Sierpiński was the forerunner of this research and developed the triangle in 1915, 60 years before the term ‘fractal’ was used.

The Sierpinski Tree is located in the Bernie Spain Gardens near the Oxo Tower on London’s South Bank – if you’re in the area, please do take a look! The tree presents a unique QR code, which displays a YouTube video, so you can learn more about Polish Scientists and their pioneering activities in the country.