A Meditation on Losing the Night
MJ Sharp
MJ Sharp, Carn Gluze, UK, 2022. Photograph courtesy of the artist.
What have we lost by our disconnection from the deep enveloping nocturnal dark and the starry skies that fueled the world’s mythologies?
For most of human history, night was a profound experience, untouched by artificial light. Today, true darkness is a rare luxury. Light pollution obscures the stars and disrupts our own creaturely adaptation to night.
Photographer MJ Sharp delved into this question while exploring the prehistoric landscapes of Cornwall, England—a region known for its preservation of dark skies and a dense concentration of ancient stone structures. Archaeological evidence suggests these sites were visited at night or in the twilight of dusk and dawn.
Sharp’s images provoke us to rethink our relationship with light, encouraging us to step away from the ever-present glow of the modern world and rekindle our ancient bond with the night sky.
Funding for this exhibition generously provided by the Julia Shoolroy Halloran Endowed Fund.