We've been on an astronomical adventure during 2022 bringing Our Place in Space to cities across the UK and to participants across the world.
And there's some exciting news for all you space explorers. The inner planets, which includes the Sun all the way to Mars, are remaining at the Transport Museum for you to enjoy!
Since we launched Our Place in Space, we've set a new Guinness World Record for the most people dressed as an astronaut (716) while a series of wide-ranging live events and talks featured award-winning artists, a NASA astronaut, a Nobel Prize winner, actor Jamie Dornan and the late Baroness Blood, and was attended by 156,000 people.
In addition, the augmented reality app created to support the trail or be used as a standalone experience has been downloaded in over 150 countries worldwide.
In total 28,000 students and 2,200 teachers participated in digital creativity workshops led by Nerve Centre, giving young people new digital skills. 5 new learning resources were produced with the support of astrophysicist Professor Stephen Smartt, exploring the universe and our place within it.
“Our Place in Space has been a fantastic collaboration of STEAM partners from Northern Ireland, and we have been overwhelmed with the response to the project. The sculpture trail has enjoyed a fantastic reception across the various locations, so much so that we had to delay our return to Northern Ireland so we could bring the installation to Liverpool. The figures that the project has generated in terms of audience shows the appetite that exists for collaborations of this nature – the trail provided people with the opportunity to experience the solar system in Oliver Jeffers’ unique style, and get involved in exciting educational activities and events.”
- David Lewis, Executive Producer at the Nerve Centre
UNBOXED has contributed to the UK’s creative landscape through investment in research and innovation and by supporting more than 6,000 employment and paid development opportunities. The programme has explored new ideas through a unique cross-sector collaborative approach to programming that featured funded research and development during the pandemic, supporting many creative organisations and freelancers through that period.
"Northern Ireland has been fortunate to have a number of the UNBOXED commissions visit our shores over the past year. Collaborations such as our own Our Place in Space, show what can be achieved when our creative, science, technology and art sectors work together. The legacy of this festival will benefit local communities for years to come." - Colum Boyle, Department for Communities Permanent Secretary
A final evaluation of the Unboxed programme is being undertaken by KPMG on behalf of all four governments and the four delivery agencies, which will be published in early 2023.