In 2023, I received mobility funding from the Graduate School to visit two Dark Sky Parks in the Netherlands as part of my PhD research examining relationships between humans and outer space through a geographical lens. Such fieldwork was intended to build upon fieldwork conducted at the Galloway Forest Park in Scotland.

Dark Sky Parks are areas committed to minimising light pollution and conserving nocturnal environments, which in turn makes them ideal locations for stargazing and photographing the night sky.

During my time in the Netherlands, I spent several days on the island of Terschelling in the North Sea, visiting the De Boschplaat Nature Reserve. I also spent a week in Lauwersmeer National Park, concentrated around the man-made Lauwersmeer lake, formed through the construction of a dike on the northern coast. The park is part of the broader Wadden Sea area, which is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The majority of the funding was used to cover the costs of ferry transportation to and from, as well as within, the Netherlands. Remaining funds were used on accommodation, which consisted primarily of camping pitches.

The fieldwork I conducted involved a creative practice method that blends amateur astrophotography with autoethnography, in order to foster rapport between myself and the light of distant stars. Through this method I analyse embodied and sensual experiences occurring at the intersection of landscape and sky, whilst also reflecting up the cultural significance of the constellations. As an example, some of the constellations I photographed during my time in Lauwersmeer included the constellations of Cassiopea, Aries, Lyra, Ursa Minor and Cygnus, which the Milky Way runs through.

I also photographed at length the Pleiades asterism. In Greek myth, the Pleiades are the divine daughters of the Titan Atlas and Pleione the Oceanid. Maia was the oldest and most beautiful of the sisters, and from whom the name for the month of May derives. In both locations, far from major sources of light pollution, there was an incredible depth to the sky and light hues of the Milky Ways were clearly visible to the naked eye. As a result, I obtained the best quality pictures of my project, in spite of several days of unfavourable weather and a thunderstorm.

During the day I conducted visits to points of interest across the parks and surrounding areas, from observation points to botanical gardens. These experiences emphasised the dualism of these parks and their twofold function as sites of diurnal and nocturnal conservation. For instance, whilst up on one platform a Dutch bird watcher pointed out a particular bird, which turned out to be a rare white-tailed eagle. From another platform cormorants and a great egret were visible, as well as, rather surprisingly, some Highland cattle. Such experiences also highlighted these sites as melting pots of materialities, from wildlife and people, to water, wind and starlight.

On the whole, the visit was of huge benefit to my studies and supplied me with another data set complimenting my earlier fieldwork in Scotland. The fieldwork generated several hundred photographs and various personal journal entries which have since been worked into my thesis alongside other findings. The visit also enabled me to test this approach in a new environment, revealing for instance difficulties relating to the strong winds of the Netherlands. In that respect, the trip allowed me to reflect upon my methodological practice, both theoretically and practically, whilst also aiding the development of my skills and ideas.

As my funding did not cover visits beyond the UK, the mobility scholarship represented my only opportunity to undertake fieldwork in an international setting. Overall, the trip provided me with data to analyse and first-hand experience of a further two Dark Sky Park’s to write about (neither of which have received much prior attention from academia).

Applying for mobility funding is one of the best decisions I have made during my time as a postgraduate student!

First published: 11 December 2024

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