Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle: A Unique Intersection of Art and Science - NAPIER

Join us for a fascinating lecture by Louise Beer as she delves into her artistic practice and discusses the philosophical and biological impacts of light pollution. Drawing from her British Council Connections Through Culture project, “Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle,” Louise will share insights from her collaboration with Dr Ian Griffin CRSNZ from Tūhura Otago Museum. This event promises to blend art and science in an extraordinary way.

Supported by Royal Society Te Apārangi, the Hawke’s Bay Branch, and the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific, this lecture will highlight how Louise’s experience under varying night skies informs her work, examining our symbolic visual connection to the cosmos amidst increasing light pollution.

Biography

Louise Beer is an artist and curator, born in Aotearoa New Zealand. She now works between London, Margate and Aotearoa. Louise uses installation, moving image, photography, writing, participatory works and sound to explore humanity's evolving understanding of Earth’s environments and the cosmos. Her experience of living under two types of night sky, the first in low-level light-polluted areas in Aotearoa, and the second in higher-level light-polluted cities and towns in England, has deeply informed her practice. As light pollution increases around the world, humanity is losing a symbolic visual connection to the cosmos, shared by our ancestors throughout history. She 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. Louise holds an MA Art and Science from Central Saint Martins and a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Middlesex University London.

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