Cosmos: the art of observing space

The sustained gaze – interdisciplinary perspectives, visual arts practice and the curation of ‘Cosmos: The Art of Observing Space’.

Bath-based visual artist Ione Parkin RWA presents a richly-illustrated talk, discussing the curation of the art-science exhibition Cosmos: the Art of Observing Space which was shown at the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol before touring to the Aberdeen Art Gallery. 

She will share insights into the themes and scope of the exhibition, which includes work by over 30 contemporary artists alongside historical items loaned from public collections, including the meteorite from BRLSI and objects from the Royal Astronomical Society. She will discuss her paintings relating to astronomy, cosmology and planetary atmospherics and her interdisciplinary dialogue with space scientists over a 10-year period.

Ione Parkin RWA is an artist, curator and elected Royal West of England Academician (RWA). She is an Honorary Visiting Fellow of the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, and co-leads the art–astronomy project Creativity and Curiosity. She has exhibited widely including New York, Baltimore, London, Berlin, Glasgow, Birmingham and the Outer Hebrides and has contributed to interdisciplinary conferences in the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. She delivered the John Brown Memorial Lecture at the Royal Astronomical Society in 2024. You can read more about Ione on her website via this link.