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  • Sarah Beirne
  • ARTstronomy- An arts project celebrating 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy

    Created 2009-11-09 by Sarah Beirne

    Location: Sub-urban - Co. Dublin

    Duration: 2009-11-09 to 2009-12-14

Project Outline

Draocht invited three Dublin 15 schools to take part in an autumn visual arts project celebrating 2009 as the international year of Astronomy.  The projects goal was to bring art and science together by encourage 5th and 6th class students to create, celebrate and share in the universe around them, while engaging in positive arts experiences through various visual arts forms.


The project was made up of the following elements:



  • A Deadly Moons workshop with Astronomer and Artist Deirdre Kelleher. The Deadly Moons Workshop is presented in conjunction with UNAWE (Universe Awareness for young Children), an international outreach programme which is a cornerstone of the international year of astronomy.

  • The students then went to visit Dunsink Observatory during Science Week (8th-15th November 2009). During this visit students had the opportunity to see the historic Grubb Telescope, located in the South Dome of the Observatory, as well as receive an illustrated astronomy lecture.

  • Then to the class rooms for weekly visual arts sessions with Artist Anne Kelly where students responded to what they had learned and seen during their visit to Dunsink and their participation in the Deadly Moons workshop.  During these workshops the students created their own lunar landscape, for installation in Draochts first floor gallery space. 

  • The installation was complete with life-size space men made from plaster, painted planets with tin foil covered hula hoops, a 10 foot planet earth, and 86 deadly moons chalk drawings. We also managed to get a smoke machine and flashing lights for the evening gallery launch/ celebration of the students work.


The project lasted 6 weeks, beginning the week of Science Week, Monday the 9th of November and finishing with the exhibition launch on Monday 14th of December.


The exhibition runs in Draocht First Floor Gallery Space from 14th December 2009- 14th January 2010.


A taste of the childrens comments about the project are below, and these will be displayed alongside the work:


 


I learned that there is more than one moon, and its not made out of cheese


 


 I learned that Phoboas looks like a potatoe


 


The deadliest moon is Mimus because it looks like the Death Star and Im a Star Wars fan


 


I would name my moon Aingeal Mhr (which means Big Angel)


 


I learned that some moons have Oceans inside them


 


When I look up at the sky at night I see cheese because it looks like cheese

Project Details

  • Location: Sub-urban
  • From date: 2009-11-09
  • To date: 2009-12-14
  • Length: 1-2 sessions per class per week for 6 weeks
  • Participants per session: 86
  • Participants in total: 23-33 students
  • Contact hours: 36
  • Age range of participants:
    8-11
  • County(ies):
    Dublin
  • Related Organisation(s):
    Deirdre Kellegan`s "Deadly Moons" workshops in association with UNAWE(Universal Awarenss for Young Children), Dunsink Observatory, Dunsink lane, Dublin 15
  • Other Related Artists:
    Anne Kelly, Deirdre Kelleghan

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