A free festival celebrating the cosmos will beam down to Belfast later this month, with music events, films, artworks, walking trails and talks.
"Our Place in Space" has announced a packed programme of free events taking place at venues across Belfast from June 27 to July 3, and featuring Nobel Prize winner Brian Schmidt, global health advocate Chelsea Clinton, Academy Award nominated filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and electronic producer and DJ David Holmes.
Planned to coincide with the Our Place in Space sculpture trail at Divis and the Black Mountain, the festival will see leading names from across science, music, film and the arts converge on Belfast for a celebration of creativity.
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Our Place in Space is part of "UNBOXED: Creativity" - a unique collaboration across art, science and technology. It involves an epic scale model of the solar system, designed by artist and children’s author Oliver Jeffers, incorporating a 10km three-dimensional sculpture trail. The project also includes an interactive AR app, and major learning and events programmes.
Highlights from the festival include Space is the Place, an evening of electronic music at Banana Block curated by David Holmes and featuring performances by Space Dimension Controller, Die Hexen and Chris Frieze.
Award-winning filmmaker Darren Aronofsky will be in conversation at the QFT, while Nobel Prize winning cosmologist and discoverer of dark energy Professor Brian Schmidt will be talking with Professor Lucie Green.
There will also be an evening with acclaimed graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister at The MAC, and a takeover of the Ulster Museum by the Nerve Centre’s "Reimagine Remake Replay" project.
Other events taking place throughout the festival include a film programme in partnership with Docs Ireland, a live performance art event with Mac Premo, a series of astrophysics talks with Queen’s University, a special screening of Oliver Jeffers’ "Here We Are" at The Strand Cinema, and a collaboration with the Tenx9 storytelling programme at the Black Box.
Away from the city, Divis and the Black Mountain will host a special event to mark the summer solstice on June 21 with an evening of sound, film and performance and visitors to the sculpture trail will be able to take part in nature walks and nature circus performances.
The former Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Michael Long said: “We’re excited to have commissioned such an eclectic programme of cultural events for the city this summer, including some world class speakers and home grown talent like Belfast artist Oliver Jeffers and Belfast music producer David Holmes, who have achieved global acclaim.
"This fusion of art and science is bound to be both inspiring and entertaining and will encourage us all to explore our place in the world – and the universe – in new and enriching ways.”
The team behind the project is led by the Nerve Centre and includes artists Oliver Jeffers and Die Hexen, award-winning scientist Professor Stephen Smartt from the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, as well as National Museums NI, NI Science Festival, Big Motive, Taunt, Microsoft, Dumbworld and Live Music Now.
Our Place in Space sculpture trail launches at Divis and the Black Mountain in Belfast on June 11, Cambridge in July and finally moves to the Ulster Transport Museum and North Down coastal path in September.
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