Immersed in Starlight

Last night I took a journey through time and space without leaving Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

Immersed in Starlight is a profoundly moving experience built around the astrophotography of Lee Pullen: twenty-three images of nebulae, star clusters and galaxies, all captured from the heart of Bristol using specialised equipment capable of cutting through the city’s light pollution.

Accompanied by fascinating captions from Pullen and a specially composed soundtrack by Sam Whitfield of Cyan Music – which reminded me of Tangerine Dream and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the best possible ways — the result is absolutely mesmerising.

Sitting in the grand hall, staring up at distant stars and swirling clouds of gas, it’s hard not to think about scale. The universe has existed for billions of years and will carry on long after we’re gone. Seen from that perspective, many of the worries that fill our days pale in comparison. I feel something similar when standing beside Neolithic stones: that sudden awareness of deep time. On a galactic timeframe, the warmongers and tyrants that dominate our headlines, causing such suffering across the world, seem smaller than ever; their efforts to drive wedges between us all the more petty. After all, we all live under the same sky, beneath the same stars. As Pullen’s commentary puts it, we are all 'connected by starlight'.

The audio-visual exhibition is on a limited run, closing today, but you can find out more about Lee's work on his Urban Astrophotography website, including his stunning photography.