E A R T H O B S E R V A T O R Y

The Earth Observatory (working title) is a new public art work, a cultural gathering site, specifically designed to enhance our contemplation of Earth. It is currently envisaged for Australia but it may be activated elsewhere as conversations with supporters in other regions are also taking place.

Unlike many observatories that look out to the stars, this observatory is envisaged as a type of mirror that reflects a living, real- time, constantly-changing portrait of Earth back to humanity. In the tradition of ancient stone labyrinth structures that have been 'walked' by people around the world for centuries and used as a contemplative tool, the intent is for the observatory to be a site of pilgrimage and ritual which invites us to reflect on our place in space and time, not just conceptually but viscerally as a whole body experience.

To progress this project, I’ve had exploratory conversations with a range of people including, for example: First Nations wisdom keepers, experts in the field of indigenous astronomical science & sky knowledge, a former astronaut, a land art pioneer, architects, an ethicist and an experimental art and projection lab specialist. I was also invited to give a talk at Parsons School of Design (NYC) about the project a few years ago for Project Anywhere’s biennial conference exploring art and artistic research outside the ‘white cube’ and traditional exhibition circuit (see below).

While this project is currently on hold, next steps will likely focus on the production of a small number of architectural models. Initial conversations about this have been discussed with Kim Bridgland and Aaron Roberts from Edition Office at their offices in Melbourne and Federal House in the Northern Rivers. Their architectural firm has collaborated with both Daniel Boyd and Yhonnie Scarce on two award winning public art projects in Canberra (For Our Country) and Melbourne (In Absence).

Conference abstract for Anywhere & Elsewhere, November 2018