Art/ Tech/ Nature/ Culture Creative and Curatorial Residency
A Memory of Darkness Live Broadcast
Thank you for joining the event.
‘As the sun sets over the enormous volcanic landscape of the remote Hinewai Reserve in Aotearoa New Zealand, the sky begins to reveal an infinite display of stars and planets, appearing like heavy lights against a pitch-black sky.
As a result of light pollution, many of us across the globe have lost our night-time view of the Milky Way, which can have a philosophical impact on the way we see our ecosystems. When we can no longer look outwards and see our galaxy, we lose a sense of the scale of the emptiness, the expanse of the darkness, and by contrast, the sheer magnificence and fragility of our natural world.
The short live broadcast, A Memory of Darkness, comprises a sonic piece created using field recordings of bird song from Louise’s experience at Hinewai Reserve, in her native Aotearoa New Zealand. Alone, looking outwards over the Pacific Ocean, as the warm breeze rustled the native trees nearby and the Ruru (Morepork owls) sang out into the night, the artist experienced overwhelming feelings of both wonderment and environmental grief in equal measure.
The artist invites participants from across the world to join her to collectively listen to this new sound piece and recall our own memory of the darkness, considering its significance.’
A Memory of Darkness was developed during Louise's UK associateship at Delfina Foundation as part of the science_technology_society programme, in partnership with Gaia Art Foundation, and on her residency at the Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand.