These images explore a ‘utopic’ village built for teaching maths

In 2007, Ali Nesin decided to solve a math problem by building a village.

Nesin, a Turkish mathematician, noticed that even students in his class at Istanbul Bilgi University who came from Turkey’s most prestigious schools had difficulty in mathematics. Instead of thinking critically, they memorized formulas and approached their education with a disturbing passivity, Nesin concluded. He decided to do something about it, eventually creating a real village – the mathematical village of Nesin in western Turkey.

Photographer Piero Castellano recently photographed Nesin teaching there. In the photograph above, Nesin’s eyes are fixed on a blackboard set against a tree, leafy vines, a stone floor and a stone wall. Castellano says the tree, vines and stones are essential to Nesin’s vision. He wanted the village to be located in a remote location, where students could immerse themselves in mathematics and community life and learn better with fewer constraints.

There are no exams here, but everyone helps with household chores.

“It’s a rather utopian place; it feels like a world apart,” Castellano explains.

In 2018, Nesin won the Leelavati Prize, awarded by the International Mathematical Union. His later speech recounted some of his favorite moments in the village. Everyone said how happy he was to see the students finally thinking.