Long ago, it was thought that the sun was the wheel of a chariot that crossed the sky from East to West.

Day after day, night after night, there is a cycle of sunsets and sunrises. Always the same, always different. Changing the colours of the sky, giving rise to the night, light and shadow; affecting the temperature, sound, condensation; altering the energy of plants, animals, and the earth; sparking various stories, beliefs and theories. 

What happens in that moment of pure transition? Will it happen again tomorrow? Will we be here to see it? We invite you to look at it together, to experience it, to focus our attention on this natural phenomenon.

Join us for these intriguing conversations which will delve into the phenomena of the sky in various social contexts. Astrophysicist Natalie Williams (Sunset) and Cultural Astronomy expert Marc Frincu (Sunrise) will be sharing their knowledge and experiences and you’re welcome to share your stories and ask questions too. And together, let’s see if the chariot continues on its way!

Artists Edurne Rubio and María Jerez have collaborated on several occasions throughout their careers. For the last two years, they have been carrying out an artistic research project around natural phenomena. From this research they have created “A Nublo”, a performance for theatre, “Shan Shui”, an online performance, and “From Sunset to Sunrise”, a series of encounters with natural phenomena and the audience. Both work in a variety of mediums and forms exploring the relationship of the viewer as the space in which the modes of representation are put into crisis.

Natalie Williams is currently doing a PhD at the University of Birmingham in astrophysics where she specialises in the collisions of dying stars. She’s an avid stargazer and always looking out for planets and constellations in the city sky, and she’s previously been a planetarium presenter, taking people on tours of the cosmos.

Dr. Marc Frincu is the vice-president of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC) and a senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. He has over 8 years of experience researching the ancient skies with a focus on archeoastronomy. He has published several research articles on sites from Armenia, Serbia, and Romania, and has participated in several conferences organized by the SEAC or the European Association of Archaeologists. He has also published 2 books and one monography on archeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy in Romania. He is actively involved in outreach activities promoting the starry sky.

NOTE: please book tickets for Part I and Part II separately.