Between: space art

Showing posts with label space art. Show all posts

Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Artlyst: Lunar Lullabies, David Lock and Concrete Dreams Three Shows To See At Firstsite

My latest exhibition review for Artlyst is of three shows at Firstsite - Lunar Lullabies, David Lock and Concrete Dreams:

"‘Lunar Lullabies’ shows how science, art and imagination have intertwined over the centuries to shape culture and our collective fascination with distant galaxies. Matthew Turner – whose drawing of Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel into space, is included in the exhibition – has written of his excitement when first seeing a rocket: ‘Standing there excited, in awe, overwhelmed by power, scale and raw materials, I felt small.’ It is this sense of awe and wonder that the exhibition principally communicates, feelings also clearly generated by Turner’s ‘Saturn V 1’ and ‘Vostock I’.

Turner is one of several artists included here who are members of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) the world’s only guild of artists dedicated to creating images of space. Essex-based IAAA artist Jackie Burns aims to inspire people with the awe and beauty of space and astronomy. She led some of the workshops to develop the exhibition and has just become President of the IAAA. Her depiction of one of the most iconic spaceships in human history ‘Saturn V, Apollo 11, on Crawler to Launchpad 39A’ consists of different-sized circles of various colours that slowly reveal the image the longer you look."

Last year Jackie Burns exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford - see here and here. She has recently said "I’m always amazed at the unexpected directions my journey as a visual artist takes me. Last year I exhibited my artwork inside a local church and as a direct result of that I’m currently exhibiting in the largest public art gallery in Essex. Never give up…"

Interviews -

Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nirvana - Rainbow Chaser.

Saturday, 8 June 2024

Firstsite: Lunar Lullabies

This summer, an exhibition inspired by the timeless poem The Star (more widely known as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) by writer Jane Taylor (1783-1824) will send space enthusiasts, young and old, on a cosmic odyssey.

Opening today at Firstsite in Colchester, the birthplace of Taylor and her poetic masterpiece, Lunar Lullabies, commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Essex writer's passing. It traces the artistic journey of Taylor's nursery rhyme and its profound influence on contemporary media, including comics, video games, and pop culture hits like Will Smith's "I'm Not a Star" and Nicki Minaj's "Starships."

The exhibition transforms the gallery into an immersive playscape of imagination and discovery, featuring interactive space objects, immersive extraterrestrial landscapes, and robot sculptures. Visitors are able to touch and discover objects ranging from meteorites and asteroid rocks to Lego Star Wars sets and bring their own cosmic creations to life.

Showcasing stunning artworks, historical artefacts and contemporary cultural nods, visitors discover how science, art and imagination have intertwined over the centuries to shape culture and our collective fascination with distant galaxies.

The exhibition is the result of a series of workshops with Firstsite youth programme YAK and families participating in Firstsite's innovative Holiday Fun programme – where they provide families facing financial challenges with fun, free days out full of art and sport along with a free family meal. YAK members and Holiday Fun families have made their own work, alongside producing collaborative artworks with commissioned artists.

The exhibition features a range of books and poetry by Taylor and her sister Ann to kick off a journey through the next 200 years.

The Star became hugely successful and a mainstay of childhood imagination, in part because of the etchings of the nursery rhyme. This art technique was impacted by science and space visions. A range of 19th-century etchings of comets in the night sky features in the exhibition.

There are a wide array of multimedia projects on display, all connecting space with the imagination. These include fantastical futuristic spaceship animation rooms by Mark Garlick, paintings of space rockets that move when viewed, and a ceramic work by British icon Grayson Perry with Alien Baby (2008) inspired by a maternity ward that he likened to a spaceship.

The work of Colchester-based Peter Elson (1947-1988), an illustrator who spent a career bridging childhood wonder of space with explorations of the future, is prominently featured. Decades of science fiction paperbacks from the 20th century have Elson's renderings on the cover, featuring planets, spaceships and star systems. Hugely influential on a new generation of sci-fi depicters, with brightly coloured backgrounds and sleek designs, he has been widely credited for providing the visual aesthetic to early video game productions in the 1990s.

Contemporary artists also show how the artistic obsession with what lies beyond the Earth's sky continues today. Essex-based artist Jackie Burns is a Fellow of the International Association for Astronomical Artists; her earlier works include science fiction book cover designs, and throughout her career, she has created work based on the scientific reality of space travel, such as through portraits of astronaut Tim Peake, as well as popular culture imagery such as characters from Star Wars. Burns led some of the workshops to develop the exhibition and her depiction of one of the most iconic spaceships in human history will feature; the one that fulfilled Blake's dreaming and took humankind onto the moon. The acrylic work Saturn V, Apollo 11, on Crawler to Launchpad 39A consists of different-sized circles of various colours that slowly reveal the image the longer you look.

In the 21st century, artists can now be found alongside scientists working towards space exploration, and the exhibition includes a number of paintings produced by British artist Matthew Turner during his residency at NASA.

A number of artists whose practices have developed at Firstsite will also be featured. The futuristic Colchester landscapes of local artist and Level Best alumni Henry Linstead will be shown, as well as work by those who attend Holiday Fun, including models of science fiction and gaming figures by the artist known as 'S' whose room installation which features over 1000 models, will immerse visitors into a world of dinosaurs and creatures whose fate was changed by an asteroid from space.

In total, the exhibition features over 100 artefacts and more than 100 artworks, the majority by artists from East Anglia, which explore our need for discovery, from the dreaming and wonderings of poets to the reality of scientific endeavour. Through a changing programme during the exhibition run, art and content from community groups and activities will also be on display. With this ambitious approach, Lunar Lullabies at Firstsite charts how the first nursery rhymes laid the foundations for the current stories that can be found in today's comics, video games and consciousness, with Colchester at the centre.

Firstsite Director Sally Shaw says, "Lunar Lullabies shows the true power of art and creativity—charting the journey from Jane Taylor's imagination in 1806 to the realities of scientific exploration today. By combining art and science, the exhibition brings STEAM to the heart of Colchester, using art as a method of learning and discovery to help us connect with the science of space exploration in a meaningful way.

"Working with local families and young people to make this exhibition has brought new voices and ideas, which are reflected in the vibrant and diverse selection of works – some which will spark nostalgia and others which will immerse you in a whole new futuristic world. Most importantly, this approach has created a really fun, inclusive space where our visitors can let their imaginations run wild!

“We hope Lunar Lullabies will inspire everyone to explore their creativity, with the knowledge that something imagined today may spark a creative chain reaction that ignites future explorations and discoveries, much like Jane Taylor's influence has done for centuries."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Electric Light Orchestra - Mr Blue Sky.

Monday, 3 June 2024

Artlyst - The Art Diary June 2024

My June Art Diary for Artlyst includes exhibitions by Judy Chicago, Belinda De Bruyckere, Isa Genzken, Nan Goldin, Dora Maar, Susie Hamilton, Samuel Walsh, Richard Kenton Webb, Caspar David Friedrich, Michael Takeo Magruder, as well as exhibitions exploring the influences of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, An Túr Gloine, art and faith, art and nature, art and space:

'Richard Kenton Webb has, for several years, been in a visual dialogue with a later poet, John Milton. He has said that “Milton has been a companion like Virgil to Dante guiding me through the narrative of my own life”. In 2021, he completed a 10-year project dedicated to ‘A Conversation with Milton’s Paradise Lost’ – 128 drawings, 40 paintings and 12 relief prints. This led to a commission of 12 drawings in response to Milton’s pastoral elegy, ‘Lycidas’, for the Milton Society of America, and a chapter in ‘Milton Across Borders and Media’, published by Oxford University Press. Now, his exhibition ‘A Conversation with Paradise Regain’d and Samson Agonistes’ will be displayed throughout the historic rooms of Milton’s Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, the only surviving home of the visionary poet and parliamentarian. The exhibition commemorates the 350th anniversary of Milton’s death, which is being celebrated this year..'

Interviews -

Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Wild God.

Monday, 15 April 2024

Jackie E. Burns and Lunar Lullabies

Jackie E. Burns is a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists and seeks to foster the inquisitive joy of art and astronomy while inspiring people to the awe and beauty of space and astronomy. As an astronomical artist, she specializes in terrestrial and extra-terrestrial landscapes. She also creates celtic and medieval illuminations. She is a workshop designer, gives illustrated lectures and is an art exhibition curator for conferences and conventions.

Jackie exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford last year and now her work is to feature in a major exhibition of space art at Firstsite. Lunar Lullabies will offer a galactic journey through 200 years of space exploration.

Join Colchester’s own Jane Taylor on a celestial adventure, inspired by her timeless poem, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Embark on a cosmic odyssey as Firstsite commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Essex writer’s passing and trace the fascinating legacy of the beloved nursery rhyme and its influence on modern-day comics and video games.

Discover how science, art and imagination have intertwined over the centuries to shape our culture and fuel our dreams of distant galaxies.

Lunar Lullabies will showcase stunning artworks which explore space and science, alongside historical artefacts and contemporary pop culture nods. Explore objects ranging from meteorites and asteroid rocks to Lego Star Wars sets up close, discover all about humanity’s ‘giant leap’ to the moon and get lost in Peter Elson’s fantastical visions of space.

Families will have the opportunities to bring their own cosmic creations to life, transforming the gallery into an immersive playscape of imagination and discovery. From interactive space objects, and immersive extra-terrestrial landscapes to sculptures of robots and rockets, there’s something for every space enthusiast, young and old. Join this stellar voyage, where art, science, and dreams collide. Your journey to the stars awaits!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Bowie - Space Oddity.

Sunday, 21 May 2023

The Overview Effect and One Beautiful World

Here's the reflection I shared at today's music event in Spring of Hope Church for the One Beautiful World Arts Festival:

The main publicity image for the One Beautiful World Arts Festival is a painting of the world as seen from space by Jackie Burns, whose inspirational exhibition of space art is currently at St Andrew’s Wickford.

The first time that astronauts were able to photograph the whole Earth from space came with the first manned mission to the moon on Apollo 8. On December 24, 1968, astronauts Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders entered lunar orbit. William Anders captured an iconic picture of the Earth that day which came to be known as Earthrise. Anders said, “We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.”

What Anders experienced is called The Overview Effect; a shift in awareness by astronauts seeing Earth from outer space as a “tiny, fragile ball of life.” The term was coined by author Frank White in 1987 in his book, The Overview Effect — Space Exploration and Human Evolution.

Apollo 8 astronaut Jim Lovell said: “The vast loneliness up here of the Moon is awe inspiring, and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth. The Earth from here is a grand oasis to the big vastness of space.”

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins said: “The thing that really surprised me was that it [Earth] projected an air of fragility. And why, I don’t know. I don’t know to this day. I had a feeling it’s tiny, it’s shiny, it’s beautiful, it’s home, and it’s fragile.”

Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong said: “It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin said: “From the distance of the moon, Earth was four times the size of a full moon seen from Earth. It was a brilliant jewel in the black velvet sky.”

Songwriter Julie Gold wrote a song called ‘From a distance’:

“From a distance, the world looks blue and green
And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance, the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight
From a distance, there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It's the voice of hope
It's the voice of peace
It's the voice of every man”

The Overview Effect has inspired hope as it ‘has been turning astronauts into environmental advocates ever since the first person in space, Yuri Gagarin, marvelled at the planet from orbit in 1961. “People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty — not destroy it,” the Soviet cosmonaut said upon his return. A half-century later, ex-NASA astronaut José Hernández said that the view aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009 turned him into “an instant treehugger.” As a result, in recent years, astronauts, including the former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, have spoken at international climate negotiations, bringing their big-picture perspective with them.

Paintings like those of Jacqui Burns or photos like Earthrise can give us a sense of the Overview Effect and grow in us a greater concern for the one beautiful world we inhabit. For those of us who are religious, our concern for the planet should be heightened by our understanding that it was wonderfully created by God and that human beings have been given the task of caring for it by our Creator. As Julie Gold puts it in her song God is watching us from a distance and, therefore, watching how we care for the world he has made.

But regardless of whether God’s creation of the world features on our radar or not, the Overview Effect – that sense of the beauty and fragility of our wonderful world – should compel us, as has been the case for so many astronauts, to want to address the climate emergency and save our one beautiful world from the jeopardy into which our human exploitation of resources has placed it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ayo-Ayo: Kabiyesi.

Tuesday, 25 April 2023

Concert, exhibition & artist talk

The summer term exhibition and Unveiled programme at St Andrew's Wickford begins this week.

From Easter to the summer, there is a feast of The Arts coming to Wickford and Runwell, beginning with the summer programme for 'Unveiled' at St Andrew's Wickford and continuing with the 'One Beautiful World' Arts Festival, which has churches in Wickford and Runwell as its venues. Art, collections, dance, music, photography, poetry. Art trails, concerts, exhibitions, performance, readings, talks. Full details can be found at https://joninbetween.blogspot.com/2023/04/feast-of-arts-in-wickford-and-runwell.html and https://onebeautifulworldfestival.blogspot.com/.

This feast of arts events begins with:

One Beautiful World: An exhibition of space art by Jackie E. Burns
26 April – 23 July 2023
St Andrew’s Church , 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

Hear Jackie speak about her work at ‘Unveiled’ – the arts & performance evenings in St Andrew’s Wickford - Friday 28 April, 7.00 pm.

During the One Beautiful World Arts Festival this exhibition will be on show from 16-26 May.

and

FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2023 AT 2 PM – 4 PM
One Voice Choir Community Performance
St Andrew's Church (11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN)

One Voice Choir community performance presented by The Grange Care Home. Please come along for an afternoon of songs performed by residents of The Grange care home. Free entry. All welcome. Cream Tea at the end of the performance.

This term's Unveiled programme begins on 28 April with Jackie Burns speaking about her space art. We continue with a talk on collecting by artist and curator George Morl (12 May), a concert by Simon Law (26 May), a talk on the Plotlands by Ken Porter (9 June), a talk on the Memorial Park by Kim Oakes (23 June), a talk on art in worship by Jonathan Evens (7 July), and an Open Mic Night on 27 July.

The One Beautiful World Arts Festival includes the following: Art Trail - 20 May; Concerts - Six Hands Together (12 May), Emma-Marie Kabanova (14 May), Yardarm Folk Orchestra (19 May), Festival Music Event (21 May), Simon Law (26 May); Dance - Steven Turner (13 May); Exhibitions - Tim Harrold (12-26 May), George Morl collection (12-14 May), Jackie Burns (16-26 May), Compass Photography (19-20 May), Wickford Christian Centre (25 & 26 May); and a Poetry Reading (20 May).

We also have the Allegro Choir in concert on the evening of Saturday 24 June (this will be a ticketed event - more information to follow) plus two Quiet Days on 31 May (Creation) and 1 July (poetry and prayer).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Bowie - Space Oddity.