In his series of photographs Romancing Σtone, Jonathan Spath unifies two areas of deep personal interest – math and photography.
The photos, taken in a former granite quarry on Cape Ann, MA, also reflect his style of photographing which “looks further and deeper into everyday surroundings to discover what singular perspectives may exist both in the object and the space around the object,” he says.
“The stones’ shapes, tones, textures, and scale were all of initial interest to me,” Spath says. “I then spent time sitting, being in and getting a sense for the place and its formations. After some time passed, I began seeing the distinct geometric shapes, the spheres, the many triangles and other polygons. My natural inclination to uncover the order, even the mathematical, within the randomness of the stone piles emerged.”
Spath adds that the photographs’ titles also describe a mathematical quality he sees or feels within the stone. In the photo Inscribed, for example, Spath says “the oblate stone is positioned to almost touch the exterior triangle in three locations. The egg shape is therefore ‘inscribed’ within the triangle.”
“As an educator I love to take opportunities to teach through the arts,” says Paula Tognarelli executive director of the Griffin Museum of Photography. “Jonathan Spath has woven and integrated some enduring lessons on math into the exhibition of his photographs that can long outlive the classroom. Learning through the arts is learning that lasts a lifetime.”
Romancing Σtone is featured at the Griffin Museum at Digital Silver Imaging in Belmont, MA, January 21 through March 28. An opening reception with the artist at Digital Silver Imaging is January 28, 6-8 PM.
All framing at the DSI Gallery is provided by Kathy Skarvan from Ava Art Custom Framing.
