Case Study: Arts and Sustainability Thematic Group

UCD SATELLITE AiR in Mayo Dark Sky Park

Academics and Institutional Affiliation:

Emer O Boyle (1), Caitriona Devery (2), Lorraine Hanlon (3), Shane McGuinness (4), Rosie O’Reilly (5) & Sheena Barrett (6)

1-Parity Studios, University College Dublin (UCD), 2-Earth Institute, UCD, 3-Centre for Space Research, UCD, 4- the Waterland’s Project, 5-College of Science, UCD, 6-Irish Museum of Modern Art

Background:

UCD PARITY STUDIOS launched an OPEN CALL for a SATELLITE Artist in Residence in partnership with National Parks & Wildlife Services, UCD Centre for Space Research & UCD Earth Institute.

This residency offers an artist a unique opportunity to do field research in one of the best places in the world to view the wonders of the night sky. Mayo Dark Sky Park, encompassing Wild Nephin National Park, has some of the most remote lands in Ireland and covers a vast 15,000 hectares of uninhabited and unspoiled wilderness across Owenduff Bog and the Nephin Beg mountain range in northwest Mayo. At night, the park protects some of the most pristine dark skies overhead, one of the last places at the edge of Europe that is still free from light pollution. Its main objective is to restore and protect the nightscapes of Mayo for present and future generations of all living things; and as a result of its work, the Park was awarded the 2024 “International Dark Sky Place of the Year”. In 2026, Mayo Dark Sky Park will celebrate its 10-year anniversary as an International Dark Sky Park and the residency will be part of shaping the focus of events and engagements to mark this milestone.

The artist will have access to a multidisciplinary network including National Parks & Wildlife rangers based in the Dark Sky Park, researchers at UCD C-Space - Ireland’s leading centre for interdisciplinary collaborative space-related research and UCD Earth Institute - for environmental, climate and sustainability research.

This residency begins with a 6-week immersion stay in National Parks and Wildlife Services rangers’ accommodation within the Mayo Dark Sky Park. Following this the artist will have the option to avail of the accommodation for further research visits throughout the year while supported in the UCD Parity Studios artists in residence programme.

Webpage:

https://www.ucdartistsinresidence.com/satellite-residency-open-call

https://www.instagram.com/ucdartistsinresidence/

SDGs impacted:

SDG 15