New Website

We've just made our new website live. This will feature all the work we're doing to co-incide with the Wigtown Book festival - Drive in Movie, Shrines and Radio Transmissions.

We're going to be adding to it weekly and will put up the times/dates/places for all the work as soon as we have them. You can leave your contact details and we'll let you know as soon as info goes up.

www.thedarkoutside.com

Drive In Movie

We've been working with Wigtown Book Festival and The Forestry Commission to put on the City Dark as a Drive in Movie ( see earlier post about the movie)

The Drive in will take place on 3rd Oct at 7.30pm at Kirroughtree Visitor Centre DG8 7BE £8 per car

This is a  rare chance to experience a drive-in movie under the stars in the Galloway Forest Park. A hit on the film festival circuit, The City Dark is a documentary about the loss of night. When film-maker Ian Cheney moved from rural Maine to New York City, he asked a simple question: do we need the stars? This visually stunning film follows him around the world as he talks to astronomers, cancer researchers and ecologists to find out what is lost under the glare of the city lights. (Film running time: 84 minutes.) 

Online booking at www.wigtownbookfestival.com

Made possible by the Forestry Commission, Creative Scotland and Wide Open

Collaboration with Jean Atkin

Last week we had a very productive meeting with poet Jean Atkin, who has researched and written some beautiful poems about the loss of farms within the area of the Dark Skies Park. The  skies are so dark in the Park because of the very low population and many once working farms have been abandoned.

A book of her poetry called 'The Dark Farms' is being published shortly and she will be reading some of them at the Wigtown Book festival 28 Sept - 7th Oct.

See http://www.wigtownbookfestival.com

"Jean Atkin’s new collection of poems focuses on the Galloway Forest Park, its depopulated glens, shrinking agriculture and extraordinarily dark skies. This is poetry about the ghosts of sheep, countless stars and generations of paths obliterated by pine forests. Jean Atkin is a previous winner of the Ravenglass Poetry Prize. She worked on The Dark Farms for eight months during 2011, walking the forest, talking to residents and reading old books and maps"

We are hoping to collaborate with Jean and incorporate some of her writing into new work we are making to be highlighted as part of the Dark Skies programme at the Wigtown Book Festival

New Dark Skies Observatory at Dalmellington....

We paid a visit to the site of the new Observatory on the Craigengillan Estate near Dalmellington. Manager Cath Seeds showed us around and explained that the Observatory would be completed this summer. Its a fantastic site with stunning views. The project has charitable status and as well as being a draw for those interested in astronomy, there will be a strong educational component. Cath is also hoping to introduce an art and craft element to the project drawing in work inspired by dark skies. The Observatory will also have a mobile 'pop up' dome which will be able to tour and project specially created videos internally.

                                            Artists Impression.Dark Skies Observatory, Dalmellinton


We'll be talking with Cath about ideas for how our work during the Residency could connect to the Observatory and astronomical events throughout the year.

                                       Cath and Robbie discuss the project at the observatory site

Dark Skies...

Since we started the residency, the weather has made it tricky for us to get a good look at the night sky - we were hoping to accompany a school astronomy trip with Galloway Forest Park Ranger, Lucy Hadley, however that had to be cancelled as it was too cloudy. 


Fortunately with the clear skies over the past few days , we have been able to really appreciate the beauty of the stars... and more! I've particularly enjoyed watching the Venus / Jupiter conjunction in the West. Although they are not so close now, they are still stunning with the waxing moon adding to the spectacle.


Yesterday March 29, 2012, the waxing moon shone right in front of the  big loop of stars known as the Winter Circle or the Winter Hexagon. The Winter Circle won’t start to fade into the glare of evening twilight till late April or May.

Steve Owens is chair of the International dark Skies Association's Dark Sky Places Development Committee and was instrumental in the development of the Galloway Forest  Dark Skies Park. He has a great online blog which updates on all kinds of astronomical events and has links to related organizations. Check it out at:


www.darkskydiary.wordpress.com


We're hoping to meet up with Steve soon to get his perspective on the development of Dark Skies Parks and on the potential role of artists in these newly designated places. 

Welcome

We are just getting started on the Residency and are looking forward to considering the nature of the Dark Skies Park and Biosphere, their impact and the potential role of artists.

We will be investigating the designation and meaning of place and in relation to the Dark Skies Park, exploring our relationship with the night sky and looking at how developments in astronomy and cosmology relate to identity and heritage. Within the Biosphere we'll be looking at the history of the area and the spiritual and emotional connections to place. We'll also be considering water - the Biosphere has used the area served by the same water courses, to delineate its boundaries.

We've been spending the first part of the residency meeting key people involved with the Galloway Forest Dark Skies Park and Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere. We're trying to build an understanding of the background to the designation of these areas and their aims, as well as starting on a period of research.


For more info see:
www.forestry.gov.uk/darkskygalloway
www.gallowayandsouthernayrshirebiosphere.org.uk


Both places cover very similar areas and we'll be spending time exploring!


Galloway Dark Skies Park - Rhinns of Kells area in
centre

Biosphere - Core areas in Red  - surrounded by Buffer Zone in green and a transitional zone delineated by the hatched area