Earth: A cosmic spectacle

Deep time, dark skies, and cosmic recordings.

Join artist Louise Beer to discuss her work using photography, sound and discussion to connect audiences to Earth's history and the climate crisis.

Living under two types of night sky – the first in low-level light polluted areas in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and the second in higher level light polluted cities and towns across England – has deeply informed Louise's artistic practice. Her work explores how living under dark skies, or light polluted skies, can change our perception of grief, the climate crisis and Earth’s deep time history and future. 

Through photography, sound, and writings from astronomers, geologists, biologists and community groups, she considers how light pollution may erode our awareness of deep time, and how it might reshape our understanding of the fragility and the wonder of all life on Earth. Louise’s curatorial and artistic practices are concerned with our relationship to both Earth and the cosmos. 

Louise will discuss several artworks, including her ongoing project exploring the cosmic significance of life on Earth, and the climate crisis. 

After the talk, Louise will be joined by Dr Anik Halder, who will provide an overview of the history of the universe and the events that led to life on Earth.

About the speakers

Louise Beer is an artist and curator, born in Aotearoa, New Zealand, now working in Margate, England. Louise uses installation, moving image, photography, writing, participatory works and sound to explore humanity's evolving understanding of Earth’s environments and the cosmos. Louise holds an MA Art and Science from Central Saint Martins and a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Middlesex University London. Louise is currently Artist in Residence for 2025-26 at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. Louise has recently been awarded the Art Gene 25 x 25 Anniversary Residency (Environment) and the University College Dublin College of Science x Mayo Dark Sky Park Satellite Residency 2025-2026. Louise’s solo exhibition, Earth, a Cosmic Spectacle x Everybody Arts is on display at Everybody Arts, Halifax until March 07. Her portfolio can be seen at www.louisebeer.com.

Dr Anik Halder is a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Astronomy and Jesus College, Cambridge. His research focuses on investigating the large-scale structure of our cosmos using the effect of gravitational lensing. Specifically, he works towards bridging theory and observations: in the development, and analyses of higher-order statistical methods in gravitational lensing galaxy survey data to further our insights into the cosmological and astrophysical processes of our Universe.

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