The Bentway: Museum of the Moon
On view from 6:00pmto 11:00pm
From September 10-15, The Bentway brings the Moon under the Gardiner with a presentation of Museum of the Moon – a seven-metre wide touring sculptural work by UK artist Luke Jerram, which fuses lunar imagery to bring the moon’s surface to life on earth. The installation allows visitors to experience the moon up-close and personal, reminding us of the moon’s influence on our daily lives despite urban barriers like light pollution and high-rise density. Visitors will be able to further reflect on the moon through moon gazing and moonlight meditation, turning The Bentway into an open air planetarium.
Other activities taking place throughout the moon-filled week include nightly moonlight meditation sessions with the Consciousness Explorers Club (September 10-13 + 15), an immersive multi-channel soundtrack – including children’s stories, self-guided meditation and an astronaut playlist – and free, astronomy talks with various speakers presented in partnership with Fort York National Historic Site and Friends of Fort York. Undercurrents, a photo-based installation curated by Courtney Miller and Valérie Frappier that calls attention to themes of water, memory, and history will also be on view. Undercurrents is part of The Bentway’s 2019 Community Incubation Program.
On September 14, starting at 7:30pm as a full harvest moon rises over Toronto, The Bentway will present Moon Merge. Pondercast host Laurie Brown and Juno nominated electronic composer and musician Joshua Van Tassel will host a live podcast recording, exploring how we urbanites merge with the natural world; through slices of sky, cracks in concrete, glimpses of water and postage stamp-sized parks. The evening will also include a sing-a-long by Toronto-based group Choir! Choir! Choir!, a performance by Bernice and a special silent disco set by Halifax’s Rich Aucoin.
The films and astronomy talks will take place in the Fort York Visitor Centre.
Schedule of Events
At the Moon
September 10-15, 6:00pm-11:00pm: Museum of the Moon, by Luke Jerram
September 10, 11, 12, 13 & 15, 6:00pm-11:00pm: Multi-channel soundtrack, featuring the Apollo 11 playlist, Jeff Warren, Arlene Chan, and Philip Cote
Philip Cote says, “These oral histories were passed down to me through my ancestors, and traditional Ojibway Elders Edward Benton Banai, Cree Elder Joe Couture, Lakota Elder Flloyd Looks For Buffalo Hand, Lakota Elder Jimmy Dubrey, Lakota Elder Chief Red Cloud, Dr. Duke Redbird and The Urban Elder Vern Harper.”
September 10, 11, 12, 13 & 15, 7:30pm-8:00pm & 9:00pm-9:30pm: Moonlight meditation with the Consciousness Explorer’s Club
September 10, 11, 12, 13 & 15, 8:00pm-9:00pm: Modern Urban Astronomy (Stargazing) with Astronomy in Action
Human beings have come a long way since our ancestors gazed upon the night sky. Their skies were dotted with stars, while ours are dotted with electric lights. They understood little about the nature of the cosmos, while we understand the majority of what we see, as well as a few things we can’t. How has this shift changed our relationship with the universe we are a part of? How do we connect with the universe when we can barely see past the skyscrapers? Come explore the night sky, learn some tricks for identifying celestial objects, and gain the experience you need to become an urban astronomer.
Films and Talks
September 10 & 12 7:30pm-11:00pm: Universe, What On Earth! & Moon Man screenings, co-presented with Fort York National Historic Site and National Film Board of Canada
September 11, 13 & 15, 6:30pm-11:00pm: Universe, What On Earth! & Moon Man screenings, co-presented with Fort York National Historic Site and National Film Board of Canada
Tuesday, September 10, 6:30pm–7:30pm: Lunar exploration: past, present, and future talk with Sara Mazrouei, co-presented with Fort York National Historic Site.
What did we learn from the Apollo missions? What are some current efforts in lunar exploration? and where are we headed next? This talk will explore the top 10 scientific discoveries from the Apollo missions, as well as some recent discoveries with current lunar missions such as water on the Moon, the shrinking Moon and lunar pits! Finally, the latest space buzz: the Moon, Mars and beyond. The recent commitment by the Canadian Space Agency to participate in the NASA-led Lunar Gateway mission and NASA’s Artmeis program to have humans on the Moon by 2024.
Thursday, September 12, 2019, 6:30pm – 7:30pm: The Legacy of Toronto’s Magnetic Observatory with Kirsten Vanstone, Executive Director of RCIScience. Co-presented with Fort York National Historic Site & the Friends of Fort York.
These days, many of us are detached from the nature’s rhythms, particularly in urban settings. For centuries, the sky provided a means to tell time and to navigate. Now, we use clocks and GPS signals. How did we get to this point? Hear the story of Toronto’s great Magnetic Observatory, once housed at Fort York. Built to help sailors better navigate the globe, the Observatory’s legacy includes a global time keeping system and cemented Canada’s position as a leader in astronomy and space science.
Special Event
Saturday, September 14, 2019, 7:30pm-1:00am: Moon Merge with Pondercast host Laurie Brown and musician Joshua Van Tassell and performances by Choir! Choir! Choir!, Bernice and Rich Aucoin
About Museum of the Moon
Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.
Over its lifetime, the Museum of the Moon will be presented in a number of different ways both indoors and outdoors, so altering the experience and interpretation of the artwork. As it travels from place to place, it will gather new musical compositions and an ongoing collection of personal responses, stories and mythologies, as well as highlighting the latest moon science. http://my-moon.org/
About Juke Jerram
Luke Jerram's multidisciplinary practice involves the creation of sculptures, installations and live arts projects. Living in the UK but working internationally for 19 years, Jerram has created a number of extraordinary art projects which have excited and inspired people around the globe. Jerram has a set of different narratives that make up his practice which are developing in parallel with one another. He is known worldwide for his large scale public artworks.
About Astronomy in Action
Ryan Marciniak is a passionate astronomer, science communicator, and entrepreneur. He has spent more than a decade travelling across Ontario with his company, Astronomy in Action, delivering interactive programs in an inflatable planetarium to children, youth, and adults. He has appeared as an expert astronomer on dozens of news broadcasts and in documentaries for networks such as CBC, CTV, Global News, CP24, and the History Channel. Outside of work he enjoys exploring the natural world through cycling, camping, and photography.
About Sara Mazrouei
Dr. Sara Mazrouei is a planetary scientist, science communicator and educator with a passion for sharing the wonders of the universe with the public. She has studied at York University, and the University of Toronto, as well as travelled all over the world for her research. Her PhD research focused on the recent bombardment history of the Moon and links to future sample-return missions. Currently, she is the Space Matters Lead at Western University’s Institute for Earth and Space Exploration. Space Matters raises awareness of the importance of space to Canadians and how it touches on nearly every aspect of their daily lives. Space Matters uses space as a vehicle to engage and motivate young people to study science and engineering and to pursue careers in these fields.
About Kirsten Vanstone
Kirsten is Executive Director of the Royal Canadian Institute (RCIScience). In this role, she is working to increase the impact of Canada’s oldest, public scientific society on Canada’s science culture. Kirsten has spent nearly 30-years in science engagement, starting at the Ontario Science Centre, where she was a Host, Educator and Staff Astronomer. She spent time as the California Academy of Sciences’ Astronomy Educator and teaching astronomy and culture at the ROM. In addition to museum and non-profit work, Kirsten has done television script research and writing and taught general interest courses on astronomy. Kirsten volunteers with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) and has received awards for her astronomy outreach from the Astronomical Association of Northern California and the RASC, Toronto Centre.
Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Registration: Museum of the Moon; Moon Merge w/Laurie Brown and Pondercast
Organized by: The Bentway Conservancy
Location: The Bentway – Strachan Gate, 250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto