Metaphysical cosmologies

Metaphysical Cosmologies 17th January - 28th March 2026 - Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Art Gallery, North Uist.

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.”

Albert Einstein: The World as I See It (1931)

Metaphysical Cosmologies explores our relationship with the universe from the standings stones at Calanais to present day cutting edge astronomy. It aspires to engender a sense of wonder, spiritualism and mystery that as humans we associate with the cosmos while shedding light on the dark side of space exploration - satellite light pollution and debris. This work has evolved as a result of a RSA digital residency with UistFilm and a period of research and development funded by Creative Scotland including a week as artist in residence at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh in February 2025 and training in TouchDesigner computer animation.

Dust of a Thousand Truths (2026, 7 mins).

This short film is my creative response to conversations with astronomers during my residency at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh. Topics explored include dark matter and dark energy, cosmic alchemy and the collapse of massive stars into black holes.

While inspired by the mysteries and wonders of the universe, the film also raises awareness of the growing impact of the space industry—particularly satellite light pollution and orbital debris—on astronomical research, aviation, and humanity’s cultural right to a dark sky. The film is constructed using NASA imagery combined with my TouchDesigner computer generated visuals.

Calanais Lunar Standstill (2026, 9 mins). 

This short film documents the “almost” Calanais lunar standstill, filmed in collaboration with filmmaker Andy Mackinnon (UistFilm) on 10 July 2025. The actual standstill on 12 June was obscured by poor weather, making this the nearest full-moon event. The lunar standstill is associated with the Metonic cycle, during which every 18.6 years the new and full moon return to the same calendar dates and the stars resume the same positions in the night sky.

During this phenomenon, the moon’s path appears exceptionally low on the horizon as viewed through the stones, with its rising and setting points at their furthest separation. The surrounding landscape resembles the form of a woman lying on her back: the moon appears to rise between her legs, evoking imagery of Mother Earth giving birth, before rolling across her body and reaching its zenith above Cnoc an Tursa at the southern end of the monument.

While presenting the lunar standstill, the film also reflects on how, despite our technological advancements, humans continue to seek connection with the elemental, natural, and spiritual qualities embodied by ancient sites and ritualised celestial events.

Star Chart (2026) – graphite on draft paper.

I continue to explore my star chart drawing, this time taking inspiration from 16th century star and comet charts in the Crawford archives at ROE, astro-archaeology and more contemporary satellite and drone imagery from both civil and military sources.

Metaphysical Cosmology seminar - Saturday 17th January 2025: Listen to the seminar recording: HERE

Meg Rodger, Artist presentation on her creative interpretation of Metaphysical Cosmologies.

Dr Alison Sheridan is a Research Associate, Department of Scottish History and Archaeology, National Museums Scotland; Honorary Research Fellow in Archaeology, University of Edinburgh; and Vice President, Archaeology Scotland. She specialises in the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland and is on the Board of Urras nan Tursachan (Calanais Stones Trust). She shared her knowledge about the history, use and significance of this fascinating and complex monument, whose history extends back around 5000 years.

Andy Lawrence is Regius Prof of Astronomy, Edinburgh University and works on the physics of quasars but also enjoys outreach, arts collaboration and astronomical history. More recently he has become active in campaigning for space environmentalism. He is author of Losing the Sky (2021) which warns of the alarming issues relating to satellite pollution and an unsustainable space industry.

Forthcoming - 14:00 Saturday 28th February - Calanais as Cosmology : what can we infer about how the builders of Calanais saw time and space?

In reference to his recent publication, professional archaeologist Ian McHardy, will outline what is known about the world famous Calanais Stones drawing from archaeological studies and scientific research. He will also discuss a wide range of ideas on folklore, placename evidence and astronomy.

Metaphysical Cosmologies: Research & Development context …

As part of this R&D project I am sharing my discussions with astronomers recorded during my artist in residence week at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh in February 2025: HERE

Ever since acquiring self-consciousness, human beings, have wondered about the origin of the universe and its condition. Who made the cosmos? Who made us? Is there a God? How was the universe created? Is the universe infinite or finite? Is there extraterrestrial life?

Thus arose mythological conceptions of the world, ancient philosophical and religious conceptions, modern philosophical systems, scientific cosmological theories, astrophysics, astronomy, and so on.

While most religious belief systems claim the existence of a creative and providential God (or Gods) who made, out of nothing, the universe and human beings, body and soul, the majority of the scientific community believe that the ideas of divinity and soul are mere myths, conjured up in the pre-scientific age. In other words, there is no reality other than that which is physical, visible and quantifiable.

However, the questions remain open, and at a certain point, the scientific cosmological discourse involuntarily slips into metaphysics. The scientist, the cosmologist, the physicist and the astrophysicist can each analyse everything up to the 'Planck Wall' or Big Bang theory. Is it impossible then to explain what was before this explosion? True, scientific cosmology tells us that it is absurd to ask what was before the Big Bang, since time came into being through this singularity. The observation is as logical as possible, if we refer to the empirical dimension of time. But if we approach the problem of temporality and creation from metaphysical and transcendental perspective, such a question becomes legitimate (Chira, V. 2023).

Thus this research and development project studied concepts relating to metaphysical cosmology, appreciating humanity’s deep and enduring aspiration to comprehend the universe - exploring the gap between science and philosophical enquiry.

During February 2025, I spent a week as artist in residence at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh (ROE). The ROE/University of Edinburgh Astronomy Department are part of the ‘Euclid Consortium - A space mission to map the Dark Universe’ providing access to the latest scientific advances in astronomy. At ROE, I also spent a time in the Crawford Collection archives turning the fragile pages of 16th century star charts and was made aware, through discussions with Prof Andy Lawrence, about the new challenges of space environmentalism in relation to space debris and satellite light pollution.

The ROE residency and period of research/development ran alongside an 18 month Royal Scottish Academy digital residency with UistFilm at Taigh Chearsabhagh that commenced in June 2024. This resulted in the production of two short artist’s film exploring astro-archaeology; astronomy and our evolving relationship with space - Calanais Lunar Standstill (2026) and Dust of a Thousand Truths (2026).

In summary, this body of work considers how exploration of the universe has always been at the forefront of human curiosity, driving us to understand not just the physical realm but also the deeper, more elusive aspects of existence.