We all love a day trip to a National Park. But how about going at dusk, with thousands of other people and carrying a lantern to become part of an interactive work of art? Now that sounds like a night to remember.
Some of the UK’s most beautiful and iconic outdoor spaces are set to become the canvas for a series of large-scale outdoor artworks this summer. And anyone can sign up to be part of them.
The team at Green Space Dark Skies are looking for 20,000 people to become ‘Lumenators’, who will carry low impact lights to create magical mass artworks at dusk. From the Cairngorms to The Chilterns, Gower to North York Moors and Dartmoor to the Causeway Coast of Northern Ireland, the Lumenators will be guided along pathways or waterways carrying smart lights that will enable digital choreography captured on film. Each short film will incorporate the stories of the people and places featured and will be broadcast online after the event. The aim is to produce a collective act of connection between people and nature.
‘Green Space Dark Skies is all about helping people to discover the joys and benefits of getting out into nature and celebrating the role and value of protected landscapes in a modern society,’ explains John Packman, one of the National Parks CEOs. ‘We also think it’s very timely to explore the rights and responsibilities citizens have with respect to nature and landscapes – how to make that relationship as fruitful as possible.’
‘The moment when darkness falls, and we switch the lights off, is going to be the most important collective act of connection between people and nature within each event.’
The first gathering will be in the Peak District National Park on April 23 and has historic significance - the 90th anniversary of the 1932 Kinder Scout Mass Trespass. This was a pivotal event in the movement to secure access to the countryside for ordinary people that influenced the creation of the UK’s network of National Parks. And it’s part of what inspired Green Space Dark Skies.
‘By engaging artists, engineers, landowners and members of the public to create a series of unique experiences, Green Space Dark Skies will both enhance people’s understanding of our natural environment and relationship to the countryside as well as show the power of creativity to inspire change,’ says Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer.
Lumenators at the Green Space Dark Skies trial event at Dinas Dinlle, by Geraint Thomas, Panorama Photography
The UK’s 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are within half an hour’s journey time for the majority of people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Events will take place across the UK from April, with the finale in September.
‘Green Space Dark Skies will give people a truly once in a lifetime experience and the opportunity to develop their own relationship with the nationally valued landscapes on their doorstep,’ says John Watkins, Chief Executive of the National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. ‘We hope that the Lumenators will continue to return to their AONBs, benefitting from the peace and rootedness that comes with a deep connection with place, and become the environmental guardians of the future.’
The team behind it say that Green Space Dark Skies is about class and landscape, race and landscape and disability and landscape.
‘We want to build more countryside stewards for the future, and to inspire more people to see the connection between their use and enjoyment of the land and our care for the planet,’ explains John Wassell, Creative Producer at outdoor art experts Walk the Plank, the team behind the project.
‘The moment when darkness falls, and we switch the lights off, is going to be the most important collective act of connection between people and nature within each event.’
To protect these amazing places, the exact locations will only be revealed to the people who register to take part. There will be no spectators, but anyone can take part for free as long as they sign up in advance and everyone can watch the films of each event online.
To take part, watch online or register, check out Green Spaces Dark Skies.
Find an event near you
England
Peak District National Park (April 23)
Dartmoor National Park (May)
Exmoor National Park (May 28)
Dorset AONB (June 11)
Broads National Park (June)
North York Moors National Park (date tbc)
The Chilterns AONB (date tbc)
Northern Ireland
Lagan Valley AONB (April 30)
Sperrin AONB (June)
Causeway Coast AONB (date tbc)
Scotland
Cairngorms National Park (August), with more locations to be announced soon.
Wales
Gower AONB (May 13)
Brecon Beacons National Park (July)
Anglesey (date tbc)
*Locations and dates may be subject to change.
Main photo: A Green Space Dark Skies trial event at Dinas Dinlle by Geraint Thomas, Panorama Photography
