Installation to transform Cork's observatory

Music, poetry, science, and moving images will combine to explore that which connects us to the stars, to one another, and to the unseen at Blackrock Castle Observatory this month.

Running from 7–15 November, ‘NOVUM: the dark space in between’ is an immersive 40 minute experience inviting Cork audiences to look up and wonder as they step beneath the observatory’s dome.

Created by Cork artists Gabriela Mayer and Regina Crowley, the installation will transform the observatory's planetarium into a space for reflection, curiosity, and wonder where audience members are surrounded by sound and imagery as the work moves between the vastness of the cosmos and the deeply personal experience of being human.

“The universe remembers – as we do,” said Gabriela of the mystery behind the new work.

“’NOVUM’ is an imagined space where unseen traces resonate and science becomes poetry. A tapestry of music, words, and visuals create a unique moment in time, and space for anyone to stop and dream.”

‘NOVUM: the dark space in between’ is the fourth collaboration between pianist Gabriela Mayer and theatre maker Regina Crowley, following ‘Time and Time Again’, ‘Notes to a Star’ and ‘Prometheus Now’. They are joined by London-based architect Anastasia Karandinou, who has created the visual elements. Original photographs of Cork night skies taken by astronomer Alan Giltinan from the Blackrock Castle Observatory are incorporated into the visual counterpoint to the music and text.

The work brings together music by Schubert, Scriabin, Ginastera, Shostakovich, and JS Bach, with words by Mary Oliver, Carl Sagan, Carlo Rovelli, and Rebecca Elson, alongside new writing and live piano improvisation.

‘NOVUM: the dark space in between’ runs from 7 -15 November at Blackrock Castle Observatory, Blackrock, Cork city. Each show is 40 minutes long with a maximum capacity of 15 people.

Tickets are on sale now via Eventbrite.ie. For more information, visit bco.ie.