Jaclyn Ahearn Senior Executive Assistant to the President | Stony Brook University
Jaclyn Ahearn Senior Executive Assistant to the President | Stony Brook University
A new exhibition at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics highlights the intersection of art and science. Entitled “Flows of Reflectivity,” the exhibition is curated by Patricia Maurides from the Department of Art and Karina Yager from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Their aim is to use photography for artistic and scientific inquiry, reflecting a commitment to the natural environment.
“At the exhibit’s opening reception on March 27,” Maurides stated, "We want to share our commitment to protecting the natural environment with the power of photography for both artistic and scientific inquiry." The exhibition focuses on light and reflectivity, specifically the phenomenon of albedo, which measures surface reflectivity.
“Albedo plays a role in the global climate by helping stabilize temperatures,” said Yager. “Glaciers are high in albedo; they have a high reflectivity. They reflect incoming solar radiation, helping the planet to cool, but greenhouse gasses are warming the planet, so there’s an imbalance.”
Yager's research takes her to Peru’s Cordillera Vilcanota range, exploring climate change's effects on high-altitude regions. Highlighting the role of glaciers, she remarked on their significance in Andean Indigenous communities, noting, “The glacier is also called Apu, which means deity for the Indigenous peoples. A lot of the glaciers are social beings. They’re deities who are protectors and providers.”
Maurides brings her background in biology and visual art to the exhibition, merging disciplines. She commented on her work, saying, “This was my first love: the bacteriophage lambda,” while pointing to a magnified bacteria image. Her photographs employ microscopy and explore optics, with pieces like “Blink” and “Alchemy of Light."
Lorraine Walsh, art director and curator for the center, expressed the institution's pride, saying, “The Simons Center is honored to celebrate the collaborative research of two Stony Brook professors. Patricia Maurides and Karina Yager’s work demonstrate the interconnectedness of art and science, the power of observation and perception, and the important role photography performs as a tool for both climatic documentation and reflective storytelling.”
The exhibit will be on display in the Simons Center Gallery until June 20.
— Antonio Mochmann
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