John Brown Memorial Lecture

John was the Astronomer Royal for Scotland and a past winner of the Society's Gold Medal. He was a long-standing supporter of the Society and its work, served on its governing Council, and was a key supporter of the Society's RAS200: Sky & Earth programme. As Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Glasgow, his research focused on theoretical modelling of solar and stellar plasmas - the so-called fourth state of matter where very hot gas becomes ionised as atoms lose their outer electrons. Alongside his academic work, John was renowed for his engaging public talks, often incorporating magic tricks to illustrate concepts. The John Brown Lectures reflect John's deep interest in the intersection between astronomy and the arts.

Exploring Cosmological Phenomena: An Artist’s Perspective

Ione Parkin will discuss the origins, development and ongoing progress of the Creativity and Curiosity Art-Astronomy project, which she co-leads with the Scottish artist, Gillian McFarland. The artists have been engaging in conversations with astrophysicists, cosmologists and planetary scientists from institutions and universities across the UK and internationally, including the Universities of Leicester, Cardiff, Birmingham, Imperial College London and the Institute of Astronomy (Cambridge). Richly illustrating the artwork, Parkin will draw attention to the art-science dialogue as a widening and deepening process, share insights into the creative responses inspired by the imagery of space and explore the nature of interdisciplinarity within the practice of visual thinking.

Ione Parkin is a practising visual artist, curator of interdisciplinary exhibitions, Co-Founder and Lead Artist of the Creativity and Curiosity Art-Astronomy Project. She is a Royal West of England Academician (RWA) and an Honorary Visiting Fellow of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester and a member of the British Association of Planetaria. Her artworks have been exhibited widely nationally and internationally and her work is included in Private and Public Collections.

Schedule

17:30: Welcome

18:00: Lecture starts with an introduction from Prof. Mike Lockwood, President of the RAS

18:10: Talk by Ione Parkin RWA

18:55: Q&A Session

19:10: Event close

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Royal Astronomical Society, Burlington House, London, United Kingdom