School of Geographical & Earth Sciences

Skies Above, Earth Below: Mapping the Values of the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park

My current research is focused on exploring the values of Dark Sky Places, designated areas where communities have pledged to conserve the natural darkness of the night sky. Organisations such as the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), and the Starlight Initiative are leading efforts to translate renewed public consciousness of the night sky into practical and meaningful action.

Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park in South West Scotland is one such Place, awarded with Gold Tier status from the IDA in 2009. My project will map the lifeworlds of the Dark Sky Park, its unique approach to dark skies practice, and the various communities - human and more-than-human - that shape and sustain it.

My research practice blends ethnography, qualitative research methods and creative enquiry, approaching the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park as a creative crucible for interdisciplinary research.

Marr, N. (forthcoming 2020). Contact Zones: the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park as creative milieu. In: Dunn, N. & Edensor, T. (eds.) Rethinking Darkness: Histories, Cultures, Practices. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Marr, N. (2019). What a difference the night makes: towards new planetary urbanisms. (Forum-style review of Robert Shaw's The Nocturnal City). City 23(2), pp. 273–276.
DOI: 10.1080/13604813.2019.1574382

• Dr David Borthwick

Arts and Humanities Research Council Collaborative Doctoral Award Studentship, 2016 - 2020

Geography Level 1 Tutor

Geography Level 2 Tutor

I am a RET (Recognising Excellence in Teaching) Associate Fellow.