Katie Paterson's Second Moon is leaving London

Associated media

When: Wednesday 29 January 2014, 5 p.m.
Who: Public Astronomer, Dr Marek Kukula from the Royal Observatory Greenwich
Where: Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, Southbank, London SE1 9PH (Republic of the Moon)

Southbank Sky Arts Award winner Katie Paterson's Second Moon leaves London's lunar embassy today, 29 January, to continue its year-long journey orbiting Earth. Next stop Shanghai.

Public Astronomer, Dr Marek Kukula from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, will relaunch it from London to James Cohen Gallery, Shanghai by UPS.  

Second Moon is artist Katie Paterson’s current lunar project, tracking the cyclical journey of a small fragment of the moon as it orbits the Earth at approximately twice the speed of the turn of our Moon.  Launched at the British Science Festival in Newcastle on Tyne on last September and running to August 2014, the lunar fragment is travelling in an anti-clockwise direction across the UK, China, Australia and the USA and in that year it will circumnavigate our Earth 30 times.

In London, Second Moon will briefly rest alongside another lunar piece by Katie Paterson, Earth–Moon–Earth (Moonlight Sonata Reflected from the Surface of the Moon in 'Republic of the Moon', an exhibition curated by The Arts Catalyst at Bargehouse on London’s Southbank.  In this Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata has been translated into Morse code and sent to the Moon returning to Earth fragmented by the Moon's surface, this Moon–altered score is performed on a self-playing grand piano.

Katie Paterson was awarded the South Bank Sky Arts Award 2014 for in the Visual Arts category. The awards will be broadcast on Sky Arts 1 on Thursday 30 January 2014 at 9.30p.m.  http://www.sky.com/tv/show/south-bank-awards/article/2014-nominations

Royal Observatory astronomer Dr Marek Kukula will be speaking at The Arts Catalyst symposium Global Lunar Day on Saturday 1 February as part of the Republic of the Moon exhibition events programme at Bargehouse, at which a panel of planetary specialists will discuss the implications of the ‘new space race’ for non-western countries and cultures.  The event will be live streamed.

Second Moon has been commissioned by Locus+ in partnership with Newcastle University and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.  Supported by Arts Council England, Adelaide Festival and Newcastle City Council.

See Katie Paterson's work at 'Republic of the Moon' at  Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, Southbank, London SE1 9PH, until 2 February 2014, open daily 11a.m.-6p.m., admission free

Second Moon app is available free https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/katie-paterson-second-moon/id689631753?mt=8

'Republic of the Moon' is a touring exhibition, commissioned by The Arts Catalyst with FACT. The first version of the exhibition was presented at FACT Liverpool in winter 2012. The exhibition and residency has been made possible with Grants for the Arts support from Arts Council England andScience & Technology Facilities Council.

Bargehouse is owned and managed by social enterprise, Coin Street Community Builders