Dark Skies Art...details

“The Dark Outside – An Art Project” 

Dark Sky Park Artists in Residence, Robbie Coleman and Jo Hodges are presenting a series of exciting new works that link with the Dark Skies element of the Wigtown Book Festival 28 Sept – 7 Oct. They plan to tempt people into the darkness with radio broadcasts, roadside shrines and a rare chance to experience a drive in movie under the stars of the Galloway Forest Park. 

Artist Jo Hodges says “ The residency is a fantastic opportunity for us to explore themes such as the human connection to the night sky, and stories from the exploration of Space such as the lost cosmonauts. We are excited to be looking at ways of creating temporary artworks that engage new audiences” 

This work is part of a programme of artworks for the Dark Skies and Biosphere being developed by environmental Art organization Wide Open. Jan Hogarth of Wide Open says, “Contemporary Art is a great way to bring the landscape to life and help us all engage with nature (daytime and nighttime). Artists Jo Hodges and Robbie Coleman are developing a really exciting body of work linked to the Dark Skies and Biosphere area of Galloway. The work celebrates the Darkness and our connections with the stars.” 

The Drive in Movie will screen The City Dark, a stunning documentary about the loss of the night sky. 3 October. Kirroughtree Visitor Centre, DG8 7BE. 7.30 pm. £8 per car. 
Online booking at www.wigtownbookfestival.com 
Further information and dates and locations of other work are on the residency website www.thedarkoutside.com or contact: Jan Hogarth, jan@wide-open.net tel. 07801232229 or Jo Hodges, johodges@tiscali.co.uk tel. 07905866801

 A hit on the film festival circuit, The City Dark is a documentary about the loss of the night sky. When film-maker Ian Cheney asks the simple question: do we need the dark? This visually stunning film follows him around the world as he talks to astronomers, cancer researchers and ecologists to find out what is lost under the glare of the city lights. (Film running time: 84 minutes.) www.thecitydark.com 

Jo and Robbie's work for Dark Skies @ Wigtown Book Festival also includes:

Roadside Shrines A series of temporary shrines exploring the human connection to the night sky and the dark. A suitcase shrine will be carried through the Dark Skies Park in a performance piece that relies on car drivers to transport the shrine. Please stop for the hitchhiker with the shrine if you see him. 

Radio Transmissions A series of evocative sound works that can be accessed at specific points in the Dark Skies Park by tuning your car radio to the licensed frequency. 
 • Listen to the last radio transmissions of cosmonaut Lenka Sukenikova, as she orbits above you, lost and forgotten. 
• Sound artist ‘Frenchbloke’ has reworked the “ the authentic sound of human loneness”, the blues song by Blind Willie Johnson - track 41 on the Golden Record attached to the Voyager 1 Probe. 
• Jean Atkin reads her poems from The Dark Farms, exploring stars and bricked-up windows, 21st century light-free skies and the generations of children’s paths gone under the pine forest. 

The Artists Robbie Coleman and Jo Hodges are based in Dumfries and Galloway and have collaborated on various projects over the last 10 years. Jointly they are interested in site specific, temporary work and new strategies for creating work in public spaces. Robbie is a sculptor creating both permanent and temporary work, as well as working in video and performance. Jo has a background in Human Ecology and specializes in site-specific interactive work that involves communities. She has worked with The Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, The National Museum of Scotland and The National Portrait Gallery in London. For further info visit www.johodges.co.uk