Slough and the universe: A project inspired by light.

Press Release May 2016

“ I have looked further into space than ever human being did before me. I have observed stars of which the light, it can be proved, must take two million years to reach the earth.”

[Having identified Uranus (1781), the first planet discovered since antiquity.] ”William Herschel

William Herschel was an eighteenth century astronomer, based in Slough. His discoveries have shaped our understanding of the universe. Inspired by Herschel’s discoveries, artist Lorna Carmen McNeill has won a Grants for The Arts Award from the Arts Council England. Working in partnership with Jenny Blay, Head of Museum Learning at The Langley Academy, Lorna will be working on a 6 month project exploring the interplay between science, art and museums. Lorna will be making a series of fibre optic based light installations that draw on themes of astrophysics and aim to connect people with universal creative processes.

These sculptures will be a springboard for development of a series of workshops for children, young people, and adults to facilitate creative expression about the universe and our place within it. The workshops will trigger the development of other projects across science and art. After an initial pilot with Slough students and residents, the longer term plan is to incorporate discoveries from the small sculptures into one large installation to be showcased at The Langley Academy. The aim is to increase a sense of place and belonging for the Academy students and Slough residents and for the public to view. With further funding, the workshops will be developed and piloted to make them available beyond Slough via inspirational training and a programme guide.

Several exhibitions of the work are being organised for Autumn. A presentation and workshop about this project will be delivered on 1st July at the Langley Academy Annual Museum Learning Conference.

www.LornaCarmenMcNeill.com

www.LangleyAcademy.org

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter: @lornacarmen TLA Museum Learning @MuseumLearning

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