The Transit of Venus
A ballast stone from The Endeavor, shells gathered from Tahiti, a human skull, a telescope, a series of rare books including an 1893 edition of Captain Cook’s journal and 1875 edition of the Observations made of the transit of Venus, some stuffed parrots – these are some of the items from the collection at the Macleay Museum that will be on display in the Tin Sheds Gallery during the exhibition The Transit of Venus. The objects have been chosen by Daniel Boyd and will be combined with his own paintings, video works, installations and drawings to explore the impact of the Transit of Venus on Australian history.
June 6 this year marks the second passing of the Transit of Venus since Australia was colonized in 1788. The Transit of Venus is rare astronomical event that happens in a pattern that repeats every 243 years, with pairs of transits eight years apart. To mark this auspicious event Tin Sheds Gallery and the Macleay Museum are hosting The Transit of Venus - An exhibition with Daniel Boyd. The exhibition will explore the ramifications of Captain Cook’s fateful journey, not just for the Aboriginal people of Australia, but also more broadly for our understanding of the connections between science, art, astronomy and geography.
Curated by Matt Poll (Assistant Curator Indigenous Heritage, Macleay Museum, The University of Sydney) and
Zanny Begg (Director Tin Sheds Gallery, faculty of Architecture, Design andPlanning, The University of Sydney)
Exhibition opens: May 24th 6pm - Tin Sheds Gallery
Public Programs:
June 14th 6.30pm, Tin Sheds Gallery
Human Remains: Museum Object or Crime Scene? A discussion on the repatriation of human remains from museum collections. Daniel Boyd and Matt Poll, Sydney University Repatriation Project.
June 21 6.30pm, Tin Sheds Gallery
Mapping the size of the Universe: The Transit of Venus, Dr. Andrew Jacob, Astronomy Curator Sydney Observatory, Powerhouse.
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