Stargazing at the 'Invisible': Photography and the Power of Obscured Light &#8211; A Research Partnership with Kielder Observatory.&#160;
Authors: McGhie Helen 
Published: March 2021

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&lt;p&gt;I am a photographic artist, a PhD student and a Lecturer in Photography at the University of Sunderland. Through the still and moving image, my practice reimagines ubiquitous photography through new perspectives, engaged with place and encounter&amp;#8212;in my practice-led PhD, I am exploring astronomy at Kielder Observatory, Northumberland, UK (KOAS). I propose a display of lens-based art (demonstrating methods), and a paper to provide context and discussion. This session is significant in engaging a 'global&amp;#8217; audience with creative perspectives from a &amp;#8216;local&amp;#8217; observatory.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;#8216;Stargazing at the &amp;#8216;Invisible&amp;#8217;: Photography and the Power of Obscured Light &amp;#8211; A Research Partnership with Kielder Observatory&amp;#8217; explores how lens-based art can operate within and in response to an observatory in an International Dark Sky Park in Northern England, questioning:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;what new encounters with dark skies emerge when a fine-art photographer works in partnership with an astronomy organisation?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;can photography visualise the experience of dark sky observation in Northern England?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;how can lens-based art communicate a speculative practice of astronomy?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Funded by the National Productivity Investment Fund (part of the UK government&amp;#8217;s Industrial Strategy, impacting industrial needs through researcher-industry partner collaborations), my project is designed to mutually benefit the photographic field and KOAS (supporting a new art programme), whilst offering a model for future art and &amp;#8216;science outreach&amp;#8217; collaborations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The multi-method work combines image-making, conversations, exhibitions and reflective practice. In addition, an extended artist residency and planned display of practice at KOAS (website, e-newsletters, site-specific contexts and pre-event film screenings) expand the potential for new photographic narratives on astronomy. An immersive encounter with the dark skies at Kielder is crucial to the work, departing from sublime starry-skies that usually illustrate astronomy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A virtual photography exhibition and paper at EGU21 will introduce my current outcomes to STEM and creative colleagues, provoking dialogues on photography's ability to communicate complex ideas to non-specialist audiences. Concepts include speculative dark skies, encounter, and the perspective of looking from Northern England.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;www.helenmcghie.com&lt;br&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.invisiblestargazing.blog&amp;#160;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gepj.18b023a7300069796260161/sdaolpUECMynit/12UGE&amp;app=m&amp;a=0&amp;c=65cf6a8985f9bf6af33d338f45acfdca&amp;ct=x&amp;pn=gepj.elif&amp;d=1&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;406&quot; height=&quot;406&quot;&gt;&amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160;&lt;img src=&quot;https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gepj.d2db6ef7300060707260161/sdaolpUECMynit/12UGE&amp;app=m&amp;a=0&amp;c=c84b15fd1044e8d4f19ddee27fc62d19&amp;ct=x&amp;pn=gepj.elif&amp;d=1&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;409&quot; height=&quot;409&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;em&gt;'Wanderers', 2017-19&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gepj.b60a6acc300068928260161/sdaolpUECMynit/12UGE&amp;app=m&amp;a=0&amp;c=d34987fb9b3ee55fcaf1822c8aa387aa&amp;ct=x&amp;pn=gepj.elif&amp;d=1&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;427&quot; height=&quot;239&quot;&gt;&amp;#160; &amp;#160;&lt;img src=&quot;https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gepj.7fb994dc300068038260161/sdaolpUECMynit/12UGE&amp;app=m&amp;a=0&amp;c=858049cfbd66f8c00c1a08f2150af04f&amp;ct=x&amp;pn=gepj.elif&amp;d=1&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;428&quot; height=&quot;241&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;'KOas' &lt;/em&gt;film stills&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;