Sark in the Dark: Wellbeing and Community on the Dark Sky Island of Sark

SARK IN THE DARK

Sark in the Dark:

Wellbeing and Community on the Dark Sky Island of Sark

SOPHIA CENTRE MASTER MONOGRAPHS: VOLUME 3

Sophia Centre for the Study of Cosmology in Culture

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Jennifer Zahrt, General Editor

© ADA BLAIR 2016

FOREWORD BY MAREK KUKULA © NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 2016

First published by Sophia Centre Press in 2016.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publishers.

SOPHIA CENTRE PRESS

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Ceredigion, Wales SA48 7ED, United Kingdom

www.sophiacentrepress.com

ISBN 978-1-907767-42-5

ISBN 978-1-907767-58-6 (e-book)

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue card for this book is available from the British Library.

Book Design by Joseph Uccello.

Printed in the UK by LightningSource.

PERSONAL INTRODUCTION

This monograph originally began life in 2014 as part of my research for the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. In the course of my studies, I undertook a research project exploring the role that the night sky plays in relation to the Dark Sky island community of Sark using the qualitative method of intuitive inquiry. I wanted to investigate whether a community living in close relationship with its dark sky might experience similar beneficial and transformative effects to those that have been reported in relation to ‘green’/grounded nature.

In the first chapter I introduce the island of Sark and its wonderful dark sky, probing the nature of islandness and documenting Sark’s journey to becoming a Dark Sky Community. Then the next chapter explores the human desire to see the night sky, the commercialisation of this desire through tourism, heritage and nostalgia. I examine fear of the dark, the ‘nature’ of nature, and nature and wellbeing. Then I spend a chapter documenting my research, featuring direct interviews with residents of Sark, and another chapter revealing my findings. Finally, in the closing chapter I raise present and future perspectives and some areas that might warrant further inquiry into Dark Sky culture and what we can learn from the Sark island community.

To my parents,

Annie Smith Blair and Thomas Deans Blair,

who struck the spark.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Without the patience, goodwill, love and help from a number of people this book would not have seen the light of day. A huge thanks to the people of Sark who generously gave of their time, my friend Alex White who first introduced me to Sark and set everything in motion, Dr Bernadette Brady, who supervised my dissertation on the MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology, Dr Jenn Zahrt my editor at the Sophia Centre Press who encouraged me to use my own voice, Lydia Bourne and Sue Daly who gifted some of the photographs, Graham and Sheila Harker for accommodation and as always Chris Barry my partner and fellow traveller.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Forward by Marek Kukula

Preface by Nicholas Campion

Chapter 1

Sark the Island and its Dark Sky

THE NATURE OF ISLANDNESS

THE JOURNEY TO BECOMING A DARK SKY COMMUNITY

THE BIRTH OF THE SARK ASTRONOMY SOCIETY (SASTROS)

SHINING THE LIGHT: FOCUSING THE RESEARCH

Chapter 2

Scanning the Skies: Identifying Themes

THE HUMAN DESIRE TO SEE THE NIGHT SKY

COMMERCIALISATION: ASTRONOMICAL TOURISM

HERITAGE AND NOSTALGIA TOURISM

FEAR OF THE DARK

THE ‘NATURE’ OF NATURE

NATURE AND WELLBEING

Chapter 3

Sharpening the focus: Setting up my research

RESEARCH STRATEGY

GATHERING THE DATA

Chapter 4

Bifocal Vision: My Results and Discussion

MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE: THE HUMAN DESIRE TO CONNECT WITH THE NIGHT SKY

COMMUNITY: OBSERVING THE SKY WITH OTHERS AS A MEANS OF BUILDING AND MAINTAINING FAMILY/COMMUNITY CONNECTION

WELLBEING: EXPERIENCING POSITIVE FEELINGS THROUGH OBSERVING THE NIGHT SKY

NOSTALGIA: CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF THE NIGHT SKY

FEAR AND FEARLESSNESS OF THE DARK

THE DARK SKY MOVEMENT AND ASTRONOMICAL TOURISM

SKYSCAPE AND LANDSCAPE

CONCLUSIONS

Chapter 5

Images emerge: present and future perspectives

REFLECTIONS

POSSIBLE AREAS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

FINAL THOUGHTS

Appendix

Bibliography

Index

FOREWORD

by Marek Kukula

IN 1675 KING Charles II gave orders for an astronomical observatory to be built on a hill beside his palace in Greenwich. This Royal Observatory was intended to provide a more suitable working environment for Charles’ newly appointed Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed, who for several months had been conducting his studies of the night sky from the roof of the Tower of London. Legend has it that the move to Greenwich was down to the Tower’s famous ravens whose droppings were interfering with the Astronomer Royal’s telescopes, although a more likely source of annoyance for Flamsteed might have been the constant smoke from thousands of London chimneys. But, whatever the real reason for the move, it certainly wasn’t a lack of darkness: in the seventeenth century, long before the advent of gas and electric lighting, London’s skies would have been pitch black.

Fast-forward three centuries and the picture is very different. London has engulfed the village of Greenwich and at night the sky above the city is awash with the scattered glow from buildings, street lamps and security lights. From the city centre only a few dozen of the brightest stars are visible to the naked eye and the glittering band of the Milky Way is completely hidden from view. This situation is replicated in urban areas around the planet and, with city dwellers making up more than half the world’s population, this means that billions of people now never experience the sight of a truly dark sky full of stars. It’s hard to imagine how a modern city could function without artificial light but, in embracing the convenience of twenty-four hour illumination, we have, perhaps unwittingly, let go of our age-old connection to an important part of our natural heritage: the sky.

There is however a shadow of hope among all this blinding illumination. Where there is a will, light pollution can be minimised: sensible lighting design can ensure that light in our towns and cities goes down onto the streets where it’s needed and not up into the sky where it simply blocks our view of the stars, while in rural areas the same approach can help to protect what darkness remains, saving both energy and money in the process. More and more people are coming to value the sky as a part of their environment that’s worth preserving and organisations such as the International Dark Sky Association have played an important role in both raising awareness of the issue and helping communities to take active steps to cherish and protect the natural beauty above their heads. But what, apart from an inspiring view, are the benefits of a starry sky? Already studies have been carried out on the possible effects of light pollution on wildlife and even on human health but in this volume Ada Blair explores another, equally important dimension of the dark sky debate. For our relationship with the environment is not just physical, but emotional and imaginative too, and by focusing on the Dark Sky Island of Sark, its people and its stories, we begin to see how individuals and communities might be affected by the presence of cosmic immensities in their everyday lives.

Indeed, perhaps tiny Sark has a lesson for us all. The island’s Dark Sky status is the result of a community of people coming together to protect their common heritage. Its splendid night sky should serve as a reminder that the Earth itself is an island, and one that we must all learn to value and share together.

Dr Marek Kukula

PUBLIC ASTRONOMER,

Royal Observatory Greenwich,

November 2016

PREFACE:

WELLBEING AND DARK SKIES

by Nicholas Campion

IT IS A pleasure to publish this book by Ada Blair, documenting her findings on the benefits of living with dark night skies. It is difficult to establish whether any work has been done in this area until now. Even if it has, Blair’s is amongst the first. Indeed, if one googles, for example, ‘benefits of living under dark skies’, the only search result in English is Blair’s blog post on the topic. And as Blair herself said,

Although dark sky supporters often claim dark skies enhance wellbeing, there is a little research to support these claims. Much of the research focuses instead on the negative impacts of light pollution on human and animal health and behaviour.¹

Her assertion is correct. For example, the official website promoting the Brecon Beacons International Dark Sky reserve in south Wales reports that,

New research has revealed that light pollution not only limits the visibility of stars, but also disturbs the navigational patterns of nocturnal animals. This has contributed to the decline of many of our native nocturnal species.²

The dark sky movement, catalysed by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), aims to reduce the modern curse of light pollution in order to restore the sight of the rich, beautiful, awesome starry sky, which has been largely lost to most people only over the last fifty years. The movement is big, and getting bigger, even if it hasn’t made a breakthrough to the forefront of cultural consciousness. It faces stiff, passive resistance from the status quo. For example, arguments about the costs of light pollution tend to have little clout as compared to concerns over safety. So you can see the stars, the sceptics say, but what use is that if you get run over or mugged? This is why Blair’s book, documenting her research at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, is important. Throughout her investigation Blair found that experience of the night sky is beneficial for individual wellbeing. This conclusion comes up again and again in her findings. Wellbeing is now a subject of government concern, and substantial reports have been produced, for example, by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).³ There are even official statistical studies which rely on the following standard definition of wellbeing, which I will quote in full:

Wellbeing is a positive, social and mental state; it is not just the absence of pain, discomfort and incapacity. It arises not only from the action of individuals, but from a host of collective goods and relationships with other people. It requires that basic needs are met, that individuals have a sense of purpose, and that they feel able to achieve important personal goals and participate in society. It is enhanced by conditions that include supportive personal relationships, involvement in empowered communities, good health, financial security, rewarding employment and a healthy and attractive environment.⁴

Wellbeing, the report states, is a comprehensive condition resulting from the state of one’s total relationship with the world: it is central to living in an empowered community. For DEFRA wellbeing concerns not just individuals but the entire UK: a country can have wellbeing, or suffer from a lack of it. The Welsh government has even incorporated wellbeing principles into its policy making, in the ‘Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015’. The Act has seven core goals, of which I will select the following: under ‘A resilient Wales’, it is stated that the country should maintain and enhance ‘a biodiverse natural environment with healthy functioning ecosystems that support social, economic and ecological resilience’; the section on ‘A healthier Wales’ calls for a society ‘in which people’s physical and mental well-being is maximised and in which choices and behaviours that benefit future health are understood’; and under ‘A Wales of vibrant culture’, we read that the country should promote and protect ‘culture (and) heritage’.⁵ All these aims have been incorporated in the sustainability agenda of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, where Blair studied, via the Institute of Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness (INSPIRE). What do I apply to dark skies from the Act’s goals? I think there are three fundamental points: that the sky is (1) an integral part of our diverse natural environment, and essential to a resilient ecosystem; (2) central to wellbeing and (3) vital to a full understanding of cultural heritage, if we are to properly understand past generations’ and other cultures’ use of the sky. But here I will focus on wellbeing.

It is now well known that contact with natural environments benefits wellbeing. Communication with animals and birds, walking through forests, swimming in rivers, sitting on mountain tops feeling the wind and gazing at a view are all benevolent and benign. A recent literature review compiled in the UK by The Wildlife Trusts for the University of Essex contained this conclusion:

Overall there is a large body of evidence from published peer-reviewed and grey literature to suggest that contact with a wide range of natural environments can provide multiple benefits for health and wellbeing.

These benefits from nature include improvements to physical health (through increased physical activity); and improvements to psychological and social wellbeing, in a number of ways, including: reductions in stress and anxiety, increased positive mood, self-esteem and resilience, improvements in social functioning and in social inclusion.⁶

There seems to be little that contact with nature cannot benefit. But, the survey continues, more can be done

Increasing access to a wide range of nature-based activities within society will provide benefits to public health and provide savings to the UK economy.⁷

But what more? My answer is that the sky should be included part of the natural environment. After all, it is actually at least