Artist Werner Sun, a particle physicist by training, presents a new exhibition at the Schweinfurth Art Center and Cayuga Museum of History & Art in Auburn, N.Y., running through May 17, 2025. The show merges digital photography and paper folding techniques into sculptural wall and ceiling works, drawing on Sun's background in science and mathematics. Sun, who earned degrees from Harvard and Caltech and works as IT director at Cornell University's Laboratory for Accelerator-based Sciences and Education, uses algorithms and tessellation patterns to transform photographs into geometric folded pieces. The exhibition includes series such as 'Double Vision,' 'Big Bang,' and 'Rose Window,' with the latter two hosted at the Cayuga Museum.
This exhibition matters because it exemplifies the growing intersection of art and science, showing how rigorous mathematical and scientific thinking can inform creative practice. Sun's work challenges traditional boundaries between disciplines, offering visitors a tangible experience of how patterns and algorithms bridge abstract concepts and physical form. As the first of two shows featuring emerging artists selected by a joint committee, it also highlights institutional collaboration between the Schweinfurth Art Center and Cayuga Museum, supporting new voices in the regional art scene.