The exhibition, Somewhere in Time: Syzygy, was created in response to research carried out at the Royal Observatory of Edinburgh, facilitated by Professor Ian Robson. The subsequent project is part of an on-going dialogue with the Royal Observatory and was initiated on the 20^th March, at the time of the Spring Equinox.

During the Spring, or Vernal, Equinox, the sun crosses the equator travelling northwards and when this occurs, the length of day and night are expected to be equal. The Equinox is about the relationship between light – and its absence. It marks a transition, or point of balance between light and dark, an interval between contrasting states. Further than this, the Equinox causes temporary disruption of communication satellites, which become eclipsed by the earth’s shadow. For all geostationary satellites, there are a few days around the Equinox when the sun goes directly behind the satellite relative to earth for a short period each day. Interference from solar radiation, or sun outage, interrupts or degrades satellite signals for up to one hour.

Working with data from the sun outage calculator, information from satellites directly connected to Edinburgh were studied and the resultant information displayed in white text on the windows of the Tent Gallery. The exhibition is to be observed from the outside of the gallery and exists for a 24 hour cycle. In the space behind the data-filled glass is a spotlight, which is reflected by a glass wall behind it, creating the appearance of two reflective pools of light. At certain times of day, when sunlight enters the gallery space, the data on the windows casts a shadow on the floor of the gallery. Two works comprised of shadow and light.

somewhere in time  |     edinburgh – chicago     |     2.2.11 – 23.2.11

Joint residency at the John David Mooney Foundation, Chicago, Illinois.

The resultant exhibition was created over a 5-day cycle and will be a travelling archive of things that have been. The archive will be taken to Edinburgh and then onto future locations, where each element of research will be expanded and added to, creating a connecting resource based on our personal action as satellites, feeding information from one place to another and connecting our base in Edinburgh with different contexts.

Pools of light have been used to reference former mare on the moon. Mare or ‘seas’ exist as topographic plains but early astronomers believed they were great seas. A region on the lunar farside was briefly misidentified as a mare and a further four seas are also no longer recognised: Small Sea, Unknown Sea, New Sea, Struve’s Sea, Sea of Dreams.

1. Mare Parvum

A 5-day weather report in morse code, Chicago 10 – 15 February 2011

2. Mare Incognitum

The moon’s cycle was photographed simultaneously in Edinburgh and Chicago between the 8 – 15 February 2011. Due to the time difference there exists a day/night overlap; a cyclical process and documentation of two views of the moon that will never been seen again, because the moon travels further away from the earth each year.

3. Mare Novum

Postgraduate Fine Art students from Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) and the University of Chicago and University of Illinois were asked to write a proposal for a work engaging with the theme of satellite. Proposals from Chicago were posted to ECA and proposals from Edinburgh were posted to the John David Mooney Foundation at approximately the same time. As proposals travelled through space, a subtle dialogue was created as ideas simultaneously orbited the space between these two locations. Upon reaching their respective destinations the proposals have been displayed as an archive of this orbiting exhibition.

4. Mare Struve

Books selected from the Patrick Horsburgh Library which we have slept amongst and used for research during our residency.

5. Mare Desiderii

Documentation of ongoing real-estate project to purchase land on the moon and selected islands. Land use for research stations and observatory development.