By Daniela De Paulis
This is the 3nd GAM article for the Diverse Universe week, Monday 18 to Sunday 24 April 2016. This week's posts on the GAM Blog will focus on the diversity of the global astronomy community.
OPTICKS 2015, credits Daniela de Paulis/CAMRAS
Global Astronomy Month is a time for celebrating astronomy worldwide and emphasizing its global value and appeal, regardless of cultural and geographical boundaries. It is also a time for all of us at Astronomers Without Borders to look back at the work done over the last year and see how it can be improved.
For me meeting AWB has been a very important experience as an artist: back in 2010 I first got in touch with Mike Simmons, AWB founder and director, and shortly after I was developing the art programme which will soon celebrate its fifth year of activity. Over the last few years I had the opportunity to meet many inspiring artists, getting to know the work of creative minds across the globe and getting inspired by the limitless ways astronomy can reach people's imagination through art. It is amazing to see how many different creative inputs can be generated by astronomy. Some of the artists we present through the AstroArts programme are very well known to the art world, others work completely independently, this is what makes our art programme so unique, the fact that we truly overcome the borders of elitism that often characterize the art system.
AstroArts aims to be a place for meeting of creative minds and astronomy is its common denominator. Over the years I saw the programme develop to become a globally recognized AWB project. We never stop thinking about ways to develop it further, despite the fact we are all volunteers and work to support AWB achieve its objective of global peace and unity through astronomy.
Over the last year we launched the residency programme which helps one artist at the time developing a specific project in collaboration with our ever growing community of astronomy enthusiasts and professionals. We are always open to feedback, suggestions and comments from our community members to find out how the programme is helping the education of their children for example or simply helping personal growth and fostering knowledge of the arts.
For the coming year we will be looking for artists to present through our residency programme, the selected artists will show their work during the next edition of Global Astronomy Month. There has been some brainstorming over the possibility of launching a film festival, we think our community would really appreciate watching films inspired by astronomy, once again if you have suggestions or would like to get involved and dedicate some of your time for supporting AstroArts, please don't hesitate to get in touch! Consider this as a message for all of you to become more actively engaged in our programme and to learn more about art and astronomy.
For GAM 2016 we have a rich calendar of events: I would like to invite you to read our collaborator Kathleen Horner's article on how to make your own spectroscope and don't forget to send us picture of your final piece. We will host our yearly OPTICKS event with images bouncing off the Moon, this time in collaboration with the University of Bath in England. People in Bath will be sending us their images which will make the journey to the Moon and back: this is a project I developed in 2009 but I never get tired of showing it in collaboration with Astronomers Without Borders! Composer Giovanni Renzo will be performing live cosmic music over the Internet: like every year his 'Cosmic Concert' is expected to be a successful event that brings together people from all around the world into our virtual music room. American artist Arthur Woods, acclaimed pioneer of Space Art, will be presenting his work through a series of weekly articles and an interview together with special guests.
I wish you all a fantastic Global Astronomy Month 2016, I hope you will keep enjoying our art programme and all amazing astronomical events presented by members of our worldwide community over the next few weeks.
Daniela De Paulis is an artist working with video, installation, sound and performance. She has been an active practitioner since 2001 and working on several projects, often in collaboration with other artists, scientists and radio amateurs.
Daniela studied Fine Arts at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome and graduated in Painting; however the confined and solitary studio work soon proved to be a limitation to her artistic practice rather than enhancing it. In 2003 she completed a Master Degree in Fine Arts at the University of Plymouth and since 2005, been lecturing in Art & Design. Participated in several artists residencies programs, including HIAP in Finland and Kaus Australis in The Netherlands, she have shown her work in the UK, Italy, The Netherlands, France, Bulgaria, Finland and Brazil.
Daniela currently a PhD student at Leiden University, developing her ongoing research on the connection between Art and Science
