Green Space Dark Skies
20,000 people, from the Cairngorms to The Chilterns, Gower to the Broads and Dartmoor to the Causeway Coast of Northern Ireland, are being recruited to create large-scale outdoor artworks in 20 of the UK’s most outstanding landscapes for Green Space Dark Skies, part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, from April to September 2022.
The first gathering will be created in the Peak District National Park this weekend on 23rd April. Green Space Dark Skies is inspired by the 90th anniversary of the 1932 Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, a pivotal event in the movement to secure access to the countryside for ordinary people that influenced the creation of the UK’s network of National Parks.
The gatherings will be created at dusk by participants, referred to as Lumenators. They will be guided along pathways or waterways carrying smart lights that will enable digital choreography captured on film, while also being sensitive to the night-time environment. Each short film will incorporate the stories of the people and places featured and will be broadcast online after the event.
Green Space Dark Skies will enable people from all walks of life to forge new connections with the countryside by supporting those who experience cultural and physical barriers to experiencing our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to access events. The series of gatherings will celebrate the countryside and people’s right to explore it as well as encouraging our responsibility to take care of it for future generations.
The Green Space Dark Skies team is working with Dark Skies representatives in many locations to explore how the project might highlight issues around light pollution in our towns, cities and rural landscapes to support wildlife to flourish. “The moment when darkness falls, and we switch the lights off, is going to be the most important collective act of connection between people and nature within each event,” added John Wassell.
Green Space Dark Skies is one of 10 major creative projects commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a celebration of creativity taking place across the UK in 2022, designed to reach millions and bring people together.
Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK said:
“Green Space Dark Skies perfectly demonstrates the innovation and creativity we have seen harnessed through the development of the ten UNBOXED projects to explore new ideas for a better future. By engaging artists, engineers, landowners and members of the public to create a series of unique experiences, Green Space Dark Skies will both enhance people’s understanding of our natural environment and relationship to the countryside as well as show the power of creativity to inspire change.”
To protect these amazing places, the exact locations of the events will only be revealed to the people who have registered to take part. There will be no spectators, but anyone can take part for free as long as they sign up in advance and everyone can watch the films of each event online.
The events will take place across the UK from 23 April with the finale in September:
England: Peak District National Park (23 April); Dartmoor National Park (21 May); Exmoor National Park (28 May); Dorset AONB (11 June); Broads National Park (15 June); North York Moors National Park (date tbc); and The Chilterns AONB (15 July).
Northern Ireland: Lagan Valley AONB (30 April); Sperrin AONB (June) and Causeway Coast AONB (2 July).
Scotland: Cairngorms National Park (13 August) with more locations to be announced soon.
Wales: Gower AONB (13 May); Brecon Beacons National Park (6 July) and Anglesey (date tbc).
Want to take part in Green Space Dark Skies? Register at https://greenspacedarkskies.uk/get-involved/