Pale Blue Dot Collective/ Fermynwoods Contemporary Art

Of Immeasurable Consequence

I am over the moon to reveal a project John Hooper and I have been working on for the last four months. Under our collaborative name Pale Blue Dot Collective, we have been in residence with Fermynwoods Contemporary Art to create ‘Of Immeasurable Consequence’, an immersive photographic and sound based installation that will be installed in All Saints Church, Aldwincle from Sunday 24th March until Sunday 7th April 2024.

Underneath the dark skies above, and through our human eyes, we observe the light of galaxies and stars, ancient light falling softly on our retinas. In the darkness, animals rustle through fallen leaves, waves crash around the coastlines of vast land masses, and tectonic plates grind and shift the lithosphere. Insects make their homes in narrow crevices, and great aquatic creatures meander through deep blue seas. In the darkness of the forest, one owl calls to another as star light reflects from the Moon onto the heaving trees below. In the great expansive darkness, Jupiter’s gravity catches occasional Earthly bound comets and the Moon pulls the oceans creating tides. 

To be in the presence of this life, from the depths of the oceans to the upper atmospheric winds, is the consequence of a 13.8 billion year concatenation of events.

Through the darkness we can begin to see the cosmic significance of life on Earth.

‘Please join us for a launch event from 6:30pm on Saturday 23rd March, featuring insight into the work by Louise Beer and John Hooper and an informal, interactive telescope viewing with an astronomer. The event is free, however please register your place from the link below.

The artists use installation, film, photography and sound to examine our place within the universe, framing the impact of the climate emergency through the eyes of evolution and the immense time period it has taken for each form of life to arrive at this point.

Funded by Northamptonshire Community Foundation's Creative Climate Action Fund, the work combines images, sound and light to transport the viewer to an imagined forest environment. With the artists' interest in the deep time nature of our existence on the planet, they have developed an installation that explores both the fragility and the miraculous nature of life on Earth.

Sound recordings from Fermyn Woods, made with a variety of homemade and professional microphones, are combined with their own archive of field recordings collected from around the world. The final composition transports the audience to a forest outside of our experience. Images taken under moonlight during their residency are installed in the central body of the church, juxtaposed with astronomical imagery that prompts us to consider our own place in the wider Cosmos.’

* In the event of bad weather, the astronomer will deliver a talk inside the church.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/of-immeasurable-consequence-launch-event-tickets-857074883047?aff=oddtdtcreator

Aesthetica Art Prize 2024/ Longlist

I am pleased to share that I was longlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2024 and two of my pieces will be on display in the 2024 Longlist Showcase at York Art Gallery in York. The Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition runs between 16 February and 21 April 2024 at York Art Gallery and is a 'testament to shared creativity in a time of rapid change'.

My works on display are Earth as a Planetary Landscape/ Eternally Spinning through Darkness which was developed during my Amant Siena Residency and developed with my Arts Council England DYCP and Gathering Light which was commissioned by Quad Format Festival and Derby Cathedral last year.

British Council Grant/ Connections through Culuture

I am so thrilled to share that I have been awarded a British Council Connections through Culture Grant. Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle is a collaborative project between myself, astronomer Dr Ian Griffin and Tūhura Otago Museum, in Ōtepoti Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand.

This funding will enable me to explore different perceptions of the climate crisis through the knowledge of Tūhura scientists who have a deep understanding of the timescales it has taken to form our world, alongside the thoughts and feelings of Ōtepoti high school students. I will develop a body of photographic work reflecting on the deep-time history of Otago landscapes and the long and slow evolution of Earth, to be displayed at the museum with a series of curated events.

Find out more about the grant recipients here.

“The Connections Through Culture grants programme is designed to nurture fresh cultural partnerships between East Asia and the UK. These grants are instrumental in supporting new ideas and collaborations from artists and cultural organisations at any stage of development.

The grants supported in this round of Connections Through Culture programme have focused on two distinct areas: diversity and inclusion, and addressing climate change. The collaborative efforts across borders and artistic disciplines will lead to new thoughts and ideas created to address global challenges.

The grants support new connections, exchanges and collaborations. These grants help build long-term relationships and collaborations between artists, cultural professionals, creative practitioners and art and cultural organisations, hubs, networks, and collectives.”

Dark Skies/ The Transparency of Night

I am so proud to share that I have contributed a chapter to this incredible book, edited by Tim Edensor and Nick Dunn and published by Routledge on 27 November 2023. The process of writing my chapter came at just the right moment and helped me to unravel, refine, and understand my practice in new ways. I loved writing it and can’t wait to read the rest of the book. My chapter, ‘The Transparency of Night’ is the fourth chapter, and the abstract is below:

"As light pollution increases around the world, humanity is losing a symbolic visual connection to the cosmos, shared by our ancestors throughout history. The author examines how living under the dark skies of Aotearoa, New Zealand, has influenced her artistic and curatorial practice and how her artwork can invite the audience to explore their own changing relationship with the night. Through the discussion of five artistic projects, this chapter explores how living under dark skies, or light-polluted skies, can change our perception of grief, the climate crisis, and Earth’s deep-time history and future. Each of the projects has started with a fundamental connection to the night sky and reflects the author’s changing understanding of life, death, darkness, and light.“

Dark Skies addresses a significant gap in knowledge in relation to perspectives from the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In providing a new multi- and interdisciplinary field of inquiry, this book brings together engagements with dark skies from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, empirical studies, and theoretical orientations.

Throughout history, the relationship with dark skies has generated a sense of wonder and awe, as well as providing the basis for important cultural meanings and spiritual beliefs. However, the connection to dark skies is now under threat due to the widespread growth of light pollution and the harmful impacts that this has upon humans, non-humans, and the planet we share. This book, therefore, examines the rich potential of dark skies and their relationships with place, communities, and practices to provide new insights and understandings on their importance for our world in an era of climate emergency and environmental degradation.

This book is intended for a wide audience. It will be of interest to scholars, students, and professionals in geography, design, astronomy, anthropology, ecology, history, and public policy, as well as anyone who has an interest in how we can protect the night sky for the benefit of us all and the future generations to follow.

The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Contributors:

Kerem Ali Asfuroglu, Dwayne Avery, Louise Beer, Therese Conway, Hannah Dalgleish, Élisabeth de Bézenac, Kimberly Dill, Nick Dunn, Tim Edensor, Rupert Griffiths, Ysanne Holt, Ellen Jeffrey, Therésa Jones, Neha Khetrapal, Yee-Man Lam, Marty Lockett, Marie Mahon, Natalie Marr, Georgia MacMillan, Helen McGhie, Dan Oakley, Nona Schulte-Romer, Taylor Stone.

GRAIN Projects Commission: Artists Talk

I am going to be giving an artists talk as part of my GRAIN Projects x Forestry England Photographer in Residency commission on Tuesday 24 Oct 2023 18:00 - 19:30 BST.

Find your free tickets here.

I have had two stays in Cannock Chase during my residency, and was lucky enough to spend time with Forestry England, discussing the plans they have for the future of the forest, and what challenges they face with the climate crisis. ⁠

I also engaged with geologist Dr Ian Stimpson of Keele University, who has shared his endless knowledge about the rhythm of Earth’s changing climates over its 4.543 billion years of history. These two contrasting temporalities form the basis of my work for this project. How can we try and shift our viewing of the forest, to see each living or non-living element as a consequence of the events and processes that have occurred over the billions of years of Earth’s history, and the billions and billions of years of the pre-Earth Universe before that? How can we develop our understanding of the world around us to see this exceptional set of circumstances in our view?⁠

Coalescence, 2023

Commission/ Radical Gifting with People United

I am so pleased to share that I have been selected by People United to be one of three artists to work collaboratively with people experiencing social isolation to imagine 1 or 2 objects that bring the coast to people who can’t access it otherwise. Myself and the other artists will design and make 1-2 prototype objects to be reproduced, and these objects will be added to an immersive coastal themed wellbeing box and shared with socially isolated people across East Kent.

Building on People United’s 2022 project Soft Fascination, this project asks how we might work together to explore the potential impact of “Radical gifting,” referring to the act of offering a gift without expectation of receiving anything in return.

The other contributing artists are Maggie Huiming Yang and Rachel Ella Taylor.

Read more about the project here.

Pale Blue Dot Collective/ Art in Romney Marsh 2023

I am delighted to share that Pale Blue Dot Collective has been included in Art in Romney Marsh’s Sirens Call upcoming exhibition in St Mary the Virgin’s Church, St Mary in the Marsh, near to Dungeness in Kent. We will be displaying Last verse, as a dual screen installation, which was made during our BigCi Environmental Art Award Residency in the Blue Mountains in Australia, where we spent June and July in 2022. Thank you to Arts Council England for supporting this project and for the Romney Marsh community for allowing us to display this work in such a beautiful church.

Dates
16 September - 8 October
Saturdays and Sundays 1 - 5pm

Artists
a:dress, Kimberley Cookey Gam, Pale Blue Dot Collective, Roxanne Simone, Jo de Banzie, Rebecca Elves, Sarah Karen, Liv Pennington, Clare Unsworth

Art in Romney Marsh 2023 is a celebration of exciting perspectives on the title A Siren’s Call. The works address issues of the climate crisis and the threat of rising sea levels. The range of approaches includes sculpture, performance and the uniqueness of each artists creative, site specific installs. Each creative commission invites our audiences to explore the medieval church spaces with a new and artist led experience. The selected artists have responded to so many influences including local history and heritage, through to the perils we face from climate change and the need for taking a Carbon Net Zero pathway.

Art in Romney Marsh was founded in 2003. The organisation has delivered a varied programme of exhibitions centred on 8 medieval churches located on Denge and Walland marsh. Art in Romney Marsh continues to support artists to experiment and make site-specific work. Since 2011, AiRM has delivered a wide range of learning programmes that engage community groups with their local heritage and history.  Creative, partnership and educational opportunities are organised by Susan Churchill.

Find out more information here.

Jean Harrison Commission/ Perigee

Perigee
Hahnemühle Bamboo giclée mounted on dibond
198 x 149mm
2023

In 2022 I was commissioned to create a piece of work that reflected on Jean Harrisons poetry. I chose a poem called ‘Woman on the Moon’, focusing on this expert:

“The earth has been huge in our sky all day
and as it sank, I felt I could reach out
and touch you, but all the time indigo
was seeping into the valley.
Now it’s flooded and the hills
are like shadowed snow.”

Published in The North, 2003 and The Forward Book of Poetry, 2004

The poem spoke to me about both the feelings of separation and connection that can happen after bereavement. I reflected on how her relationship with the Moon, the wider night sky and the constancy of tides out my window has helped me with my personal experience of grief. The collaged image gestures to a familiar world that is almost as it was before a bereavement but which is now irrevocably and wholly different.

This piece is currently part of an auction to support the Contemporary Poetry Library, which closes on 30 September.

Settle's Contemporary Poetry Library was established in memory of Jean Harrison. Support the future of the Library and other collections at the Museum of North Craven Life by bidding on one of the artworks or making a donation.

GRAIN Projects Photographer in Residence

I am delighted to announce that I have been awarded the GRAIN Projects Photographer in Residence opportunity at Cannock Chase, Staffordshire in partnership with Forestry England. I will engage with the location and its communities to create new work that supports the development of my practice.

The Residency has been designed to support excellence in photography and is intended to provide artists with time to think, research, reflect and/or experiment with new ideas, to enable the research and development of new work in the context of Cannock Chase.

This opportunity is part of a broader series of continued professional development opportunities conceived and developed by GRAIN, supported by Arts Council England and Birmingham City University.

Cannock Chase and the West Midlands Region The West Midlands region is one of nine regions in England. Geographically diverse, the region has the urban central areas of the conurbation surrounding Birmingham to the rural western counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire which border Wales. The region encompasses five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty including Cannock Chase. Cannock Chase Forest (CCF) covers 2684 hectares of coniferous and broadleaf woodlands and open land in Staffordshire in the West Midlands, between the towns of Stafford to the northwest, Cannock to the south and Rugeley to the east – Birmingham city centre is 20 miles to the south. Cannock Chase is mainland England’s, smallest AONB. Most of the forest is freehold as part of the public forest estate and is designated as Open Access land. Much of the woodland in the west and north eastern corner of the plan area is leased to Forestry England however, and access in these areas is restricted to Public Rights of Way. The area lies within the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the majority of Forestry England land is made up of conifers planted for timber production. There are also areas of ancient woodland, wetland, wood pasture and open heathland within the forest.

GRAIN Projects
GRAIN champions photography for all. We deliver activities and projects in collaboration with partners locally, regionally and internationally, to support and grow photography opportunities for artists, communities, audiences and participants. We are dedicated to supporting artists to develop their ideas and ambitions and to creating new and innovative opportunities in photography for everyone.

We commission and produce new work and projects that engage with society and create new opportunities for participation as well as developing and curating exhibitions, commissions, publications, events and a range of artists opportunities and professional development support. 

Working beyond the boundaries of a museum or gallery context offers rich and rewarding spaces for new work and opportunities to develop new collaborations and audiences.  We work with communities and in unique locations to explore new ways of working.

Forestry England
For over 100 years, we have been growing, shaping and caring for over 1,500 of our nation’s forests for the benefit and enjoyment of all, for this generation and the next.

Forests are vital for the future of our planet. They improve the health and wellbeing of everyone. With careful planning and expert management, our forests will continue to thrive. Forests store carbon, reduce flooding and provide people of all ages and abilities with fresh air and spaces to breathe. We are always thinking beyond today, planning and planting forests that will help create a sustainable future.

Arts Council England/ Developing Your Creative Practice Grant

I am delighted to share that I have started my second Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant this week with two wonderful mentors, Ariane Koek and Nikki Sheth. I have embarked on my 12 month mentoring programme with Ariane and a series of private sound tutorials with Nikki.

Ariane Koek is a British independent producer, curator and writer recognised internationally for her transdisciplinary work in arts, science, technology and in the creation of new residency programmes. Among many other incredible achievements, Ariane was the Initiator and Founding Director of Arts at Cern (2009-2015). Ariane is a world leader in the field of science and art.

Nikki Sheth is an internationally recognised sound artist and composer. Her practice involves field recording, soundscape composition, multimedia installations, sound mapping and soundwalking. Her work uses multichannel and ambisonic spatial practices to create immersive listening experiences and engage with audiences. She uses sound as a medium to bring a voice to the environment and encourage a wider awareness of the natural world. Nikki recently completed a PhD in Musical Composition at the University of Birmingham and has won numerous awards for her practice.

Thank you so much to my mentors and to Arts Council England.

Pale Blue Dot Collective/ Lom+You Award

I am delighted to share that Pale Blue Dot Collective was selected as one of 20 awardees to be supported by Lom, from 170 proposals from more than 50 countries around the world. We will be given a Lom Geofón microphone.

Geofón is a sensitive omnidirectional geophone adjusted for field recording purposes. Originally designed for seismic measurements, it can be used with regular field recording equipment to capture very faint vibrations in various materials and even soil.

We will use our Geofón mic to record the vibrations of and around the sea defences on the island of Great Britain. We will let the recordings dictate a process of composition, layering them with recordings from our catalogue of sounds from around the world. Our work will explore the urgency of our environmental situation and investigate how rising sea levels are and will continue to affect ecosystems in many different ways.

Supported artists:

Alexis Perpelycia (Argentina)
Anmol Tikoo (India)
Arielle Estrada (Senegal)
Chris Dooks (Scotland)
Jami Reimer (Canada)
George Moraitis (Greece)
Kosmas Phan Dinh (Germany)
Lisa Schonberg (Brazil)
Nithin Shamsudhin (India)
Viki Arvay (Slovakia)
Cia Himiân Lí (Taiwan)
Cosmo Sheldrake (UK)
Douglas Tewksbury (Arctic)
Frontyard space (Australia)
Chris Myhr (Canada)
Eleni-Ira Panourgia (Germany)
Leonard Maassen (Switzerland)
Mafalda Ramos (Brazil)
Pale Blue Dot collective (UK)
Raphaële Dupire (France)

Lom Geofón

Arts Council England/ Developing Your Creative Practice Grant

I am delighted to share that I was awarded a second Arts Council England Developing Your Creative Practice grant in March, 2023. This award will enable me to do several sound and video courses, alongside having mentoring from two curators that I greatly admire. It is a significant investment in my practice and will enable me to spend much more time in the studio over the summer. Thank you so much to Arts Council England!

Commission/ FORMAT23 Festival x Derby Cathedral

I am proud to share the news that I was awarded a commission from FORMAT23 x Derby Cathedral late last year. I have been working on the project for a number of months, and am excited to install the work in March 2023 in the magnificent Derby Cathedral.

Title of exhibition: Gathering Light
March 17 - to May 21 2023

Gathering Light

Gathering Light is an installation that reflects my experience of grief. I created this work after losing my wonderful father in 2021. One thing that has helped me traverse the path of grief has been watching the ever changing skies from my home in Margate and the Moon above at night time. Walking along the cliff top and seeing the different birds and insects moving from one flower to another and the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening, helped me to process the enormity of our family’s loss. The constant to and fro of the tides has given an earthly framework to my thinking. 

How does the Earth keep spinning

Seeing the sky out of my window has helped me to connect my reality to that of Earth, and our cosmic history. It helped me to think of other days, other nights. Other skies we have all looked up at, other possibilities. Other moments and other shared memories.

Gathering Light was created by taking photographs of the sky, usually just after sunrise, over 40 consecutive days to reflect the 40 days of contemplation of Lent. During this time I kept a diary of thoughts on how I was processing my own feelings.

Read more here.

Book your free ticket to the PV here.

super/collider/ Changing Currents Exhibition

Exhibition opening
Wednesday 8 February 4 – 7.30 PM
SPACE Ilford 
10 Oakfield Rd, Ilford IG1 1ZJ
(Rear of Redbridge Town Hall)

Surveying the ancient River Roding, students from Beal High School have been working with Arup, super/collider and the River Roding Trust to explore the impact of the built environment and the choices we make on the natural world.

This exhibition presents the photographic, film, written and audio evidence collected by the students during a series of workshops and visits to the river. Together, they invite visitors to consider the way in which we interact with the world around us, both individually and collectively. 

Click here to RSVP 

With thanks to Arts Council England, River Roding Trust Arts Associate Andrew Brown, River Roding Trust and Beal High School.

International Women's Day Auction with Art on a Postcard

I was really excited to be asked to contribute to the Art on a Postcard International Women’s Day Mini Auction, curated by Bakul Patki. The sale of the works will raise money for Hepatitis C Trust and their campaign to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030. ⁠
⁠
I have donated three postcard sized images which have each been made by digitally manipulating photographs of the sky, taken in Margate, UK. They explore my fascination with Earth, the Universe and the existence of life, against the backdrop of the climate crisis. ⁠
⁠
Bidding open 23rd February – 9th March, hosted by The Auction Collective.⁠
Find more about my actction and how to bid here.

The Prviate View will be on 7 March, 6-8PM at Fitzrovia Gallery Private View RSVP.

Earth I

Earth II

Earth III

Nature's Way/ Online exhibition

I am really pleased to be included in Nature's Way, an online exhibition curated by Georgia Watkins for Patience Gallery opening on 10 February. I will be showing my film, Revolving through the Megacosm.

Nature’s Way will be Patience Gallery’s first online exhibition, showcasing work of artists and writers alike. As the gallery’s debut, it will explore innovative ideas about how art shows are curated and will experiment with creating dialogues between visual and written art.

The title, Nature’s Way, was a prompt for work responding to our natural world. It asked for participants to showcase work that both highlights its beauty as well as discussing an understanding of its complexity and the issues within it.

SPACE Studios x ARUP Commission

super/collider was recently commissioned by SPACE Studios and ARUP Engineering to work with Beal High School and the River Roding Trust in Ilford, London. Our project explores the health of the river and the future of the climate crisis with a group of 30 sixth form students over a series of five engagement days.

Yesterday we ran workshops along the River Roding, using microscopic photography and sound to explore the area. We will be exhibiting the work made in 2023 at SPACE Studios.

Arup is a British multinational professional services firm headquartered in London which provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment.

SPACE is a leading visual arts organisation supporting artists by providing creative workspace, advocacy and professional development.

The River Roding Trust is as a community-led effort to restore the River Roding, with particular focus on the lower reaches around Barking and Ilford. The objects of the River Roding Trust are as follows:

'To preserve, protect and restore the River Roding for the public benefit and to undertake and carry on projects and activities of a charitable nature related to the river which will assist in promoting recreation, protecting the environment and educating the public about the history of the river.'

Dark Skies Conversations with Marnie Ogg

I was really thrilled to be invited to be on Marnie Ogg’s podcast, Dark Sky Conversations earlier this year. Marnie is the Director of Dark Sky Traveller in Australia. We recorded the podcast earlier in the summer and am very excited that it is now online.

During the podcast we talked about my relationship with the night sky, my Dad's influence and my practice.

‘Something special with this episode…an invitation to listen to and experience the work of Louise Beer, Artist and Curator. Louise has kindly shared her original performance piece titled ‘In Memory of Darkness’. So stick around at the end of the interview, make sure you’re listening on headphones and immerse yourself.

Marnie Ogg talks with some of the brightest minds about light pollution and ways to protect our night skies.’

Listen here for free:

https://www.darkskytraveller.com.au/podcast

Photofringe Eco Outdoor Exhibition 2022

My image, Earth as a Planetary Landscape/ Apogee Earth was one of twenty images selected for the Photo Fringe 2022 OPEN Eco exhibition to be installed in an outdoor exhibition on Worthing beach in October. The exhibition will remain in place for six months.

This image was developed during my Amant Foundation Siena residency in Chiusure, Italy last year and with my DYCP grant from Arts Council England.

'Photo Fringe invited artists to propose a single image to engage audiences and help us imagine a greener, fairer world. Artists were asked to respond to the question “How can photography make a difference to the climate crisis?"

From 6 October, the twenty images will also feature on the Photo Fringe 2022 festival website where many of the selected artists have created additional online exhibitions. The selection panel for the Photo Fringe OPEN Eco was Steve Macleod director of Metro Imaging; Elizabeth Grieve from Land Art Agency and artist Emma Critchley.

Photo Fringe 2022, the tenth edition of the biennial, open-platform photography festival presents a vibrant mix of self-curated shows and work selected from open calls online and in galleries, cafés, pop-up venues, outdoor installations and other extraordinary spaces.

The selected artists are:

Rhiannon Adam, Louise Beer, Laurene Bois-Mariage, Anne Marie Briscombe, Bill Brooks, Chan Hong Yui Clement, Alex Currie, Sarah Grounds, Gwen Riley Jones, Frankie Knight, Olana Light, Mark O'Halleron, Eunice Pais, Alex Robertson, Grant Simon Rogers, Francesco Russo, Scott Stevens, John Walmsley, Mandy Williams and Elizabeth Woodger.

Photo Fringe 2022 OPEN Eco is sponsored by Metro Imaging with funding from Arts Council England National Lottery Project Fund and Worthing Borough Council.

super/collider/ Exhibition: The lives held in these arms

The lives held in these arms

4m34s

I made this film for the super/collider exhibition at Grizedale Arts Centre which is open from this Sunday. This work was inspired by reflections from the participants during our listening activities throughout the forest.

The film opens a window into an immersive forest world with a soundscape created from recordings using different microphones. Many of the trees in Grizedale Forest feel ancient and as if they have watched the landscape change around them. As I listened through microphones, I thought about how many creatures one tree supports through its lifetime, including our species.

During our commission, super/collider visited the forest with local participants from Barrow in Furness. We explored the different histories of Grizedale Forest and how it is being managed in the face of the climate crisis, with a series of visits between May and August 2022.

This work accompanies a collaborative Polaroid artwork, exhibition at Grizedale Visitor Centre and risograph zine - all co-created by local participants and super/collider.

The project, Curating Climate, was commissioned by Hazel Stone at Grizedale Forest Signal Film and Media and is a collaboration between myself and Melanie King. The show runs from Sunday until 30 October.