SpaceFest warmly invites you to the opening of Cosmic Cartography on Saturday 7 November at 6pm at Marina Market, Cork.
The centrepiece of our 2026 Science Week festival, Cosmic Cartography brings together artists exploring how we map, interpret and imagine the universe. The exhibition features Cork’s own art and geology collective, The Fold, alongside other artists responding to our invitation to explore mapping and outer space.
Join us for light refreshments and an informal conversation with some of the artists, who will share insights into their ideas, processes and approaches to the work. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the artists and their work, connect with others across the arts and science communities, and mark the opening of a festival bringing 20 events to 12 venues across Cork.
If you’re planning to join us, please RSVP to hello@greywoodarts.org. We’d love to see you there!
SpaceFest is presented by Greywood Arts and made possible with funding from the stars at Taighde Γireann – Research Ireland.
Warmest regards,
Jessica Bonenfant
Artistic Director
SpaceFest & Greywood Arts
COSMIC CARTOGRAPHY
How do we map a universe too vast to fully comprehend? How have people across cultures made sense of the stars, and how do we find our place in the cosmos? From marking time, tracking the seasons and crossing the seas, the night sky has been a source of scientific observation and artistic inspiration. Cosmic Cartography invites you to look up, look closer and get curious about our universe.
The Fold: Cosmic Cartographies
An artist-led, cross-disciplinary research group founded by Jess Franklin, The Fold brings artists and geologists together to explore the natural world through creative practice, dialogue and shared enquiry. For Cosmic Cartographies, artists explored ideas of mapping, movement, time, distance and our changing relationship with the cosmos through collage, drawing, painting, photography, textiles and sound. Informed by diverse forms of research, from scientific knowledge, geological observation and field research to historical, cultural and imaginative sources, each artist developed their work independently, then came together throughout the process to share ideas, discuss works in progress and offer feedback, allowing artistic and geological perspectives to inform one another.
Impact – Kerry Guinan
Created through our Cosmic Debris residency at the National Space Centre in 2024, this levitating sculpture represents a meteoroid that has been impacted by a shard of artificial space debris in the high speeds of Earth’s orbit. The work asks us to reflect upon the profound impact that humanity has on nature, on and beyond the Earth.
Space Studio Inc.
Artists from Crawford Supported Studios present artworks inspired by stargazing, created through workshops with artist Ed Kuczaj, bringing their individual perspectives and creative practices to the exploration of the cosmos.
We Are Terraformers — St. Fergal’s NS, Inch NS, Midleton Educate Together NS and Scoil Mhuire Naofa
Working with artist Chris Finnegan, 170 young people from East Cork schools explored how scientists map the universe before creating their own planetary sectors. Their individual works come together in a large-scale collaborative installation.
Reach for the Stars
Discover the winning images from the annual astrophotography competition organised by the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). Selected from more than 140 entries submitted by photographers across Ireland, these remarkable images reveal the beauty and wonder of the night sky.
Asterisms
Explore how cultures around the world have mapped the stars and poke holes in the universe with your own constellation contribution to this interactive artwork. A giant octagonal sky installation will offer a view of thousands of years of animal constellations from six different cultures, ranging from the Sami people of Northern Europe to Hawaiian navigators. Visitors will be invited to poke these constellations (or their own!) into the illuminated exhibit.
Space Cadets Reading Corner
Cozy up to the stars in our space-focused reading area featuring a selection of stellar books curated by Cork City Libraries. Titles include books for early readers, teen and YA readers, and adults, with both fiction and non-fiction selections.
- Date: Saturday 07 November – Wednesday 11 November
- Time: Saturday and Sunday, 11 – 7; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11 – 6.
- Opening Reception: Saturday 07 November 6pm - 7:30pm
- Cost: FREE
- Location: Marina Market, Centre Park Rd, Cork, T12 YX76
- Parking: Free parking
- Transport: Buses 202, 212
