McGhie, H., 2026.

Kielder

Kielder is a photography exhibition exploring the intersection of light, technology and the night sky, drawing on six years of arts-based research conducted in partnership with Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society (2017-2023).

Focusing on Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, McGhie's work captures encounters with place shaped by conversations with astronomers, trustees, volunteers and visitors. Through sustained engagement, she developed what she describes as "dark-sky situated knowledges" and a personal relationship with Northern England's night skies.

The exhibition includes Wanderers (2017-2022), four portraits capturing the anticipation of night-time observation, and Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer (2019), a museum-style installation commissioned by the North East Photography Network that visualises the tools and inspirations of Observatory volunteers. The seven-minute film Observatory (2020-21) traces the transition from day to night, accompanied by a soundtrack created from sonified image data. The large photographs Approach (2020), originally installed in Kielder Forest, shares the Observatory's red-hued glow in the library, referencing the process of "dark adaptation" as eyes adjust to night vision.

In response to the exhibition, Manchester Poetry Library has curated poetry on the theme of darkness throughout its stacks. From science fiction to place-writing, these selections echo the original forest installation of McGhie's banners and playfully respond to statements from Observatory volunteers, extending the dialogue between science, imagination and environment.