Flows of Reflectivity
March 12-June 20, 2025
Curated by Patricia Maurides (SBU Department of Art) and
Karina Yager (SBU School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences)
Simons Center Gallery
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 27, 2025, 5:00 pm
5:00 pm: Reception, Simons Center Gallery and SCGP Lobby
5:30-6:30 pm: Art + Science talk by Patricia Maurides and Karina Yager: Flows of Reflectivity
Lecture Hall SCGP 102 (adjacent to gallery)
Flows of Reflectivity unites artistic and scientific perspectives to examine glacier change and the dynamics of reflectivity through photography and video. Merging art and science, the exhibit deepens our understanding of the natural world, utilizing photography as both a medium for artistic exploration and a tool for scientific observation. A central theme of the exhibition is albedo—the measure of incident light reflected by a surface, and a key factor in Earth’s energy budget, playing a crucial role in everything from glacier fluctuations to long-term climate trends.
Another theme of the exhibition is the use of photography by artist and scientist alike. One technique featured is repeat photography—the practice of taking photographs at different points in times from the same physical vantage point. It remains an essential and cost-effective technique for scientists and researchers working to track and study landscape change.
A second technique is the artistic treatment of reflection through collage-like layering of images and light. It can perhaps be equally likened, if not juxtaposed, to repeat photography as it also utilizes photos at different points in times—through an artist’s lens. Other photographic methods on view are time-lapse photographic video as well as varied use of printing substrates such as aluminum.
Flows of Reflectivity includes artwork by Stony Brook Professors, and curators of the exhibition, Patricia Maurides (Art) and Karina Yager (School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences); a time-lapse video by environmentalist James Balog; and photographs by Robert Shippee (who was a geologist and pilot) and George Johnson (who was a pioneer in aerial photography)—their six historic photographs in the gallery are reproduced from the 1931 Shippee-Johnson Peruvian Expedition in the Andes.
Maurides’ art is informed by her multidisciplinary background in both the natural sciences and fine arts. Her palimpsest-like layered images contain references to nature, science, and ways of seeing. Maurides’ photographic compositions in this exhibit are from an ongoing series investigating optics of vision, the behavior of light, and the curious nature of reflectivity through diverse photographic processes.
Yager’s photographs and video depict glaciers at varying states over time from selected glacial expeditions. Her interdisciplinary research examines coupled social ecological systems (SES) and land cover land use change (LCLUC) in mountain environments, combining remote sensing analysis, alpine vegetation studies, peatland research, and ethnographic fieldwork with indigenous pastoralists.
Another video displayed in the gallery showcases the dynamic time-lapse photography by celebrated environmental photographer James Balog. His video of Sólheimajökull glacier (Iceland) provides an additional layer of understanding, capturing ongoing changes to our natural world over time.
Finally, on view in the gallery are six photos from the 1931 Shippee-Johnson Peruvian Expedition— also relating to Yager’s video. The eight-month expedition, including 454 hours of flight time, was undertaken to create an aerial survey of the Pacific coast and Andes region of Peru. It was the first use of aerial photography to locate and document both archaeological sites and geographical features in South America.
Patricia Maurides, Professor of Practice in the Department of Art at Stony Brook University, teaches photography and studio art courses integrating art and science. Her photographic work extends into digital media, performance, and installation, featuring investigations into perception, memory, and origins. Previously, Prof. Maurides taught at Carnegie Mellon University, where she served as the first director of Intercollege Degree Programs. She has received several awards and grants, including a Heckscher Museum Biennial Merit Award, NYFA NYS Keep Creating Project Grant, and grants from The Nature Conservancy, Andy Warhol Visual Arts Program, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. Maurides holds an MFA in Art from Carnegie Mellon and a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of South Carolina. www.patriciamaurides.com
Karina Yager (PhD Yale University) leads transdisciplinary research on human dimensions of climate change, with a focus on socio-ecosystems of high-altitude regions. Recent work weaves together aerial photograph and satellite image analysis of glacier change with botanical surveys and ethnographic fieldwork in the Andes. Dr. Yager collaborates with indigenous pastoral communities and local stakeholders, fostering a shared understanding of adaptive strategies for the sustainable stewardship of mountain ecosystems. She is a lead researcher of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA). Her research has been supported by NASA ROSES, Chile’s CONICYT (La Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica), Stony Brook Foundation, CONDESAN and the National Geographic Society. Dr. Yager is an Associate Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, New York. www.karinayager.org
