We are thrilled to announce our partnership in a collaborative initiative, Moon Palace, made possible by a generous collaborative project funding of £22,000 from The Ogden Trust.
Moon Palace, an artwork and mobile observatory by Heather Peak and Ivan Morison, brings together arts organisation, the East Leeds Project, and Physics departments at the University of Leeds, Durham University, University of Hertfordshire, and Queen Mary University of London.
This collaborative project aims to empower undergraduate and postgraduate student ambassadors with interdisciplinary skills, fostering their growth as leaders while enhancing access to astronomy and culture for underserved communities. By bringing the mobile observatory which is also an artwork directly to local neighbourhoods, we aim to deepen relationships between universities and their local communities.
A key component of this initiative is evaluating the impact of arts-science outreach collaboration on our physics student ambassadors. The evaluation will explore how this unique blend of disciplines enhances the ambassadors’ creativity, confidence, and engagement with diverse groups, including artists and community partners. We are committed to understanding the transformative experiences of our student ambassadors and how these experiences contribute to their personal and professional development.
We are grateful to the Ogden Trust for their support and look forward to sharing the outcomes of our evaluation, which will be published at the end of the funding period. Together with our partners, we can inspire a new generation of thinkers and creators, making science and art accessible to all.
Moon Palace is by Heather Peak and Ivan Morison. Co-produced by East Leeds Project and LEEDS 2023 and commissioned by Foxglove and LEEDS 2023 for Smeaton300. Developed in partnership with the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds.
Erin McNeill, Project Lead and Physics Outreach Officer, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds said: "We are thrilled to have the support of the Ogden Trust for Moon Palace. Working together across our partner Physics departments and East Leeds Project, we will be able to share the wonder of Moon Palace in new places and with new people. I’m excited to see what we will create together through conversations, exploration and fun!”
Adam Boal, Programme Manager, Opportunities for All, The Ogden Trust said: “Moon Palace is a great example of collaborative working that brings together institutions and disciplines, and we are delighted to be supporting the project with the 2024 collaborative funding award. We are excited to see the project progress, reaching more people in underserved communities and growing the network of student outreach ambassadors. We hope that the project development and evaluation will provide new ideas, resources and a fantastic framework for other inspiring arts/physics outreach collaborations in the future.”
For more information about the Moon Palace collaborative project, please contact Erin McNeill, Project Lead, at e.mcneill@leeds.ac.uk.