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Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer and Dark Adaptation, Helen McGhie

Dark Adaptation, Helen McGhie

Dark Adaptation © Helen McGhie

  • Dates:November 2019
  • Status:Archived

Two commissioned pieces of work for the Observe Experiment Archive exhibition.

Foil, From Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer © Helen McGhie

From Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer © Helen McGhie

Helen investigates the experience of stargazing for northern astronomers in the darkness at Kielder Observatory, situated in remote  Northumberland, Europe’s largest International Dark Sky Park. Rather than focusing on producing new images of space in the tradition of organisations such as NASA, she captures personal encounters of the night-sky.

Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer is a collection of photographs showing the inspirations that some astronomers have for their outer-space passion and the objects needed for night-time observations.

Dark Adaptation is a performative landscape, exploring the process of an observer’s adjustment to night-time vision.

These works were commissioned by NEPN for the Observe Experiment Archive programme and exhibition at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens in 2019.

Also shown in Observe Experiment Archive, Wanderers, a series of portraits depicting the act of observing the sky at night, where stargazing becomes a performance of ‘looking up.’

www.helenmcghie.com

Wanderers and Anatomy installation shot

Wanderers and Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer, exhibited at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens © Michael Davidson

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