‘We propose an observatory that is also a vehicle. A coach to transport people and a place for people to meet. A telescope for looking at the stars and a kitchen for sustaining you with warm drinks through the night whilst you do so. It will evoke the 1970’s community art bus, the American house truck movement, the DIY engineering of back yard astronomers, the slick airbrush finish of a British owner operated lorry or Miami low rider, and the techno-futuristic modifications of survivalist bug out vehicle. The vehicle will evoke a time just lost, whilst embodying the ideals of a sustainable future.’

All images: Moon Palace by Heather Peak and Ivan Morison. Photo: Charles Emerson.

On the strength of this compelling proposal by artists Heather Peak and Ivan Morison, the East Leeds Project secured funding from LEEDS 2023 to make Moon Palace, an artwork and mobile observatory, a reality. The project launched in August 2023, touring community venues and schools across the city as part of the Year of Culture programme and welcoming 2947 visitors of all ages on board.

The Moon Palace project began in 2022 with the ELP’s original idea to create a mobile observatory, a reference to East Leeds born pioneer of civil engineering, John Smeaton (1724-1792) and the now-lost observatory he built at his home in Austhorpe. Evolved in conversation with Smeaton300 (a creative programme by Foxglove – Abby Dix-Mason and Jane Earnshaw) the idea was pitched to LEEDS 2023 and an open call issued to artists, to which Peak and Morison responded. Staff and students at the University of Leeds’ School of Physics and Astronomy came on board as partners and technical consultants, and became members of the onboard team for the Moon Palace events. During each outing, astronomers and artists collaborate to host the space, welcome visitors, and take them through a gently guided onboard experience.

Taking a Smeatonian approach to bringing together creativity and art, engineering and science, collaboration and public good, Moon Palace is a space for conversations on everything from the world around us to the vastness of our Universe and our impacts on a changing planet – all over a cup of Cosmic Tea. She is also a working observatory with onboard equipment including a powerful optical telescope for after-dark stargazing and a rooftop radio telescope. Following the end of the Year of Culture, Moon Palace continues to tour under the auspices of the East Leeds Project.

Press coverage for Moon Palace includes The Guardian and an interview with Kerry Harker and Ivan Morison by Nick Ahad for BBC Radio 4’s Front Row. The evaluation report for LEEDS 2023 can be downloaded here.

In recognition of Leeds’ Year of Culture, Sky Arts partnered with Arts Council England, LEEDS 2023, The Space and, Studio12 to discover and unlock the potential of Leeds artists with a range of fresh perspectives. The East Leeds Project secured one of the commissions, working with the theme of ‘future perfect’ and partnered with Panoptical to produce a short film: Moon Palace, a Stargazer’s Journey (2023) which you can watch here. It follows Moon Palace as she tours East Leeds, sparking conversations about the future and what’s worth fighting for. Moon Palace, a Stargazer’s Journey was directed and edited by Ashley Karrell and written and produced by Paul Harker.