/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

Iziko South African National Gallery, until 31 May 2015.

An exciting international exhibition entitled Shared Sky was opened by the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor at the Iziko South African National Gallery today, 13 February 2015. Transcending continents, Shared Sky brings together South African and Australian artists in a collaborative exhibition celebrating humanity’s ancient cultural wisdom, alongside one of the world’s greatest scientific and engineering endeavours: the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). This fascinating art/astronomy exhibition is hosted by Iziko Museums of South Africa in partnership with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Organisation, SKA South Africa, SKA Australia, and Curtin University Australia’s Institute of Radio Astronomy.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor says of the exhibition: “While Shared Sky successfully reflects on the ancestral interpretations of the night sky from indigenous people from both South Africa and Australia, it also touches on South Arica’s flagship science programmes. South Africa has a rich fossil heritage, allowing for world class research in human origins. At the same time, we host top astronomers exploring our place in the universe”.

Shared Sky was developed in collaboration with San -descended artists from the Bethesda Arts Centre, Nieu Bethesda, Eastern Cape and their creative counterparts, Yamaji Aboriginal artists from the Yamaji Art Centre, Geraldton, Western Australia. The exhibition showcases spectacular tapestries depicting some of mankind’s earliest attempts to understand the enormity of the universe and humanity’s place within it. Depicting millennia-old indigenous myths, the art quilts describe the creation of the sun, the stars, the Milky Way, the moon, the lunar cycle, and ‘death’. The work of scientists and artists in this project reveals a common desire to appreciate the complexity and ancientness of the universe, and to share diverse explanations of it.

“Through partnerships and collaborations, the SKA radio telescope project and the attendant Shared Sky exhibition bring together individuals, programmes, institutions, national departments, countries and museums. Embodied in the exhibition are advanced scientific enquiry, contemporary artistic creativity and ancient indigenous wisdom from Australia and South Africa about the universe.  The exhibition is appropriately sited within Iziko which has a rich legacy of knowledge creation in the fields of archaeological and natural history research, inter alia. Iziko’s mission of making connections and inclusivity could not be more beautifully reflected”, says Rooksana Omar, CEO, Iziko.

Shared Sky presents an unprecedented opportunity for these communities, who share so much through their common colonial histories, to reflect upon the countless generations of proud custodianship of their respective homelands, and draw strength and inspiration from each other.  Over thousands of years, these communities developed rich and distinctive cultures in absolute isolation – and an entire Indian Ocean apart – yet share so many deep concerns for the preservation of their cultural heritage.

Shared Sky was curated by Chris Malcolm, Director of the John Curtin Gallery at Curtin University, Perth, Australia, as international curator in partnership with John Parkington, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, University of Cape Town. Shared Sky is presented in South Africa in collaboration with curator Sandra Prosalendis, exhibition designer Elsabe Gelderblom and Carol Kaufmann, Curator of African Art at the Iziko South African National Gallery.

Shared Sky is hosted by Iziko Museums of South Africa, a national flagship institution and an agency of the national Department of Arts and Culture, at the Iziko South African National Gallery.

The Shared Sky exhibition will be open to the public from 13 February until the end of May 2015.

Contact:
Lee-Shay Collison (Iziko Museums of South Africa)
Tel: 021 481 3891
E-mail lcollison@iziko.org.za

Lorenzo Raynard (SKA SA)
Tel: 071 454 0658
E-mail: lorenzo@ska.ac.za

William Garnier (SKA Organisation)
E-mail: w.garnier@skatelescope.org

Contact Lunga Ngqengelele (Ministry of Science and Technology)
Cell: 082 566 0446
E-mail: Lunga.Ngqengelele@dst.gov.za

Notes to editor:

About Iziko Museums of South Africa (Iziko)

Iziko operates 11 national museums, the Planetarium, the Social History Centre and three collection‑specific libraries in Cape Town.  The museums that make up Iziko have their own history and character, presenting extensive art, social and natural history collections that reflect our diverse African heritage.  Iziko is a public entity and non-profit organisation that brings together these museums under a single governance and leadership structure.  The organisation allows *free access to all individuals on commemorative days, (*excluding the Castle of Good Hope and Planetarium). Visit our webpage at www.iziko.org.za, join our online community on Facebook (www.facebook.com/IzikoMuseums) or follow us on Twitter (@Iziko_Museums) for regular updates on events, news and new exhibitions.

About Square Kilometre Array (SKA)
Through this global collaboration involving governments, scientists and engineers from over 20 nations, the SKA radio telescope will capture unprecedented levels of information, often from the farthest reaches of the universe. By enabling scientists to see deeper into space, further back in time and with greater clarity than ever before, the SKA will greatly enhance humanity’s knowledge of the universe. Prototype ‘precursor’ telescopes are already active at each location, some of which will eventually become part of the much larger SKA telescope – the world’s largest-ever radio telescope. For more information, visit - https://www.skatelescope.org/shared-sky/

Issued by Department of Science and Technology