EARTH, A COSMIC SPECTACLE/ CHAPTER Three

Collaborating partners
University College Dublin College of Science
Mayo Dark Sky Park
Wild Nephin National Park

Location
Dublin and County Mayo, Ireland

Years
2025 - 2026

Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle/ Ghosts
8 minutes
Louise Beer
2026

This artwork draws on Louise Beer's research with Earth and space scientists at University College Dublin and time spent in Wild Nephin National Park.

The installation explores the philosophical implications of light pollution and the proliferation of satellites, which are increasingly obscuring our view of the Universe across much of Ireland and wider world and considers what we might lose as our access to the night sky diminishes. The work invites us to think about the lives of individual forms of life within a wider cosmic context, reflecting on the billions of years of cosmic and planetary processes that have made their existence possible and how the climate and biodiversity crises are impacting them.

The postcards presented in the installation include contributions from UCD scientists, Wild Nephin National Park and Mayo Dark Sky rangers, members of the public, children from Ballycroy, and the wider Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle archive.

Louise was the University College Dublin College of Science x Mayo Dark Sky Park Satellite Artist in Residence from 2025 - 2026.

Starry Night
Published by Connections Magazine at the University College Dublin
2026

I was delighted to write an article for Connections Magazine. UCD distributes 70,000 copies to UCD alumni all over the world, and readers of Irish newspapers - the Post, the Irish Times, and the Business Post. Read the article online here.

Download the PDF here.

The Visual Artists News Sheet
Published by Visual Artists Ireland
2026

I was aslo delighted to be commissioned to write a reflective piece about my University College Dublin College of Science x Mayo Dark Sky Park Residency for this wonderful publication.

Download the PDF here.