Kielder: An evening with Helen McGhie, Jean Sprackland & Nick Dunn

What does darkness mean to you?

Inspired by Kielder, a new photographic exhibition by Dr Helen McGhie, Senior Lecturer in Photography at the School of Digital Arts (SODA), this special event welcomes you on Thursday 19 February for an open conversation with Helen and writers Professor Jean Sprackland (Manchester Met) and Professor Nick Dunn (Lancaster University). Together, they will discuss darkness, night-time place and creative practice.

Helen will introduce themes of protected dark skies and astronomy communities at Kielder Observatory through her exhibited photographs. Jean will read from her new book Night Vision: In Search of the True Dark, and Nick will share an excerpt from his recent book Dark Futures: When the Lights Go Down, each offering new ways of imagining the world after dusk.

Guests are invited to wander through the exhibition, browse a curated selection of darkness-related poetry books selected by Dr Martin Kratz (Programme Manager at Manchester Poetry Library) and spend time reflecting on the poetics and possibilities of darkness with Helen, Jean and Nick.

We’d love for you to join us for a thoughtful and atmospheric evening.

Supported by the Media and Digital Cultures research group.

Kielder exhibition information

Kielder is a photographic series that explores the intersection of light, technology, and the night sky, capturing dark-sky experiences in Northumberland International Dark Sky Park. Created by Dr Helen McGhie for a creative research project in partnership with Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society (2017–2023), the photography captures encounters with dark skies in Northern England, informed by conversations with astronomers, trustees, volunteers, and visitors. Over six years, McGhie collected dark-sky situated knowledges and developed a personal relationship with the night sky.

In this exhibition, four Wanderers portraits (2017–2022) capture the immersive anticipation of observing Kielder’s dark skies. Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer (2019), commissioned by the North East Photography Network, is a museum-style collection visualising the inspirations and instruments behind night-time observation, informed by conversations with Observatory volunteers. The 7-minute film Observatory (2020–21) traces the transition from day to night and includes a soundtrack of sonified image data. The larger banner Approach (2020), previously installed in Kielder Forest, shares the Observatory’s inviting red-hued glow, enabling observers to experience ‘dark adaptation,’ where eyes adjust to night vision.

In response to this work, poetry on the theme of darkness has been curated in the stacks. In some ways these mimic the original positioning of McGhie’s photographic banners among the trees of Kielder Forest. In the reading area adjacent to the museum-collection of Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer (2019), there is a selection of everything from sci-fi poetry to place-writing which playfully respond to accompanying statements made by Observatory volunteers.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Manchester Poetry Library