Celebration of the landscape

In addition to the exhibition and workshops, AUB students were invited to participate in Green Space Dark Skies. This event enabled communities to come together and follow in the footsteps of our ancestors and celebrate the landscape at Maiden Castle.

The roles involved either being an event volunteer or a Lumenator. The Lumenator role involved carrying a low-impact geo-locating light, designed by Siemens, into the landscape as dusk fell. As it became dark, the hundreds of lights, carried by the Lumenators, created remarkable patterns on the landscape. In combination with music, dance and poetry, this was a magical and profound experience for all those involved.

20,000 people from across the UK, including AUB students and communities that are often underrepresented in the countryside, were recruited as Lumenators to create twenty large-scale outdoor artworks. The Dorset event involved 1,000 people including Allsrt’d, a Poole-based organisation that helps young people with learning disabilities, Dorset Blind Association, Dorset Islamic Cultural Association and the 13th Weymouth Guides.

Kate Wood, Director of Activate Performing Arts, said: ‘We were delighted that students and staff joined us for the Green Space Dark Skies project at Maiden Castle on 11 June and were especially pleased with the creativity of their workshops, their interactive installation, and the engagement these attracted.

Their brief was to help people build a deeper connection to the living world, enabling them to become future ambassadors of the environment and help them to live more sustainably, and the students delivered this exceptionally well. As ever, it was an enriching experience for Activate to partner with Arts University Bournemouth and AUB Human.’

These mass-participation events have been captured on film. The Dorset event at Maiden Castle can be viewed online at: https://greenspacedarkskies.uk/films/ dorset-aonb-dorset/

Being a Lumenator was a unique experience. I loved the meditative and reflective music playing whilst we moved around with other Lumenators. It was quite a spiritual experience.

Tolu Dada, student

As part of the Green Space Dark Skies event, I had the beautiful experience of being a Lumenator. This experience was captivating, connecting and insightful. I felt a sense of community and togetherness throughout the whole day …it was completely inspiring and something I will remember forever.

Nina Longman, student