About
Explore the big ideas in space through art, music and conversation at this one-night-only experience, in an immersive, historic setting.
SPARC Summit Late is a unique space and culture event, created as part of the inaugural SPARC (Durham Space Research Centre) Summit.
Set within the atmospheric surroundings of Ushaw Historic House, the evening brings together space scientists, artists, musicians, technologists and the public to explore the biggest questions in space through conversation, creativity, performance and music.
It will be a curated social experience that blends rigorous thinking with cultural imagination, inviting curiosity, dialogue and shared reflection on the futures we are shaping.
No specialist knowledge required. Just curiosity.
SPARC Summit Late is hosted by SPARC (Durham Space Research Centre) and Light Years; a space-place-making initiative - part of the Into the Light Place Partnership.
Together, we are exploring new ways to connect world-leading space research with the public in lots of different ways. Moving above and beyond the hype of space to ask deeper questions about sustainability, responsibility, ethics, imagination and the future...
This evening event opens the first SPARC Summit to the public, creating an opportunity for informal encounters between research, creativity and lived experience.
SPARC Summit Late is designed as a journey, not a single stage or linear programme. Guests are invited to move freely through the vast building, encountering ideas in different forms and at their own pace.
The evening is all about:
• Conversation over presentation
• Atmosphere over instruction
• Shared exploration over passive listening.
It is an experiment in what happens when research culture and cultural life meet in an immersive social environment.
Our Light Years artists have been collaborating with space researchers to stimulate new artistic creations and new perspectives on knowledge. Expect immersive installations, dark-energy-inspired dance music, Space Parliament playful debates, a space laser intervention, film preview screenings, inclusive contemporary dance, street art exhibition, interactivity and a lively bar and social space.
Space research shapes everything from climate science and communications to security, economics and how we imagine the future.
SPARC Summit Late creates opportunity for public dialogue about these issues, at a moment when decisions about space matters more than ever.
WHO IT’S FOR
• Curious members of the public
• Scientists and researchers
• Artists and creatives
• Policymakers and civic leaders
• Students and early-career professionals
• Anyone interested in space, culture and the future
• No specialist knowledge required
• Recommended age 14+
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