Ancient light

Book Launch and Exhibition at The Photo Book Cafe Shoreditch, London, June 2025.

‘What to make of Melanie King’s photographs of the stars, which make up the extensive series ‘Ancient Light’? They have none of the glamour of NASA’s enhanced astronomical photographs and cannot repeat the exactitude of the powerful telescopes which constantly map the universe. Rather, they are photographs rooted in the earth’s surface , emphasising our smallness against the infinity of space. This is what we see, insists Melanie King, aligning herself perhaps with Plath’s vision of the tired and bedraggled stars glimpsed in the night sky over England . And to see them like this, to acknowledge the power of their travelled light, we celebrate the fact that we are part of this, moving , vibrant specks in a history as long as time.’ (Professor Val Williams, 2024)

‘Ancient Light’ comprises analogue astronomical photographs of the night sky, often produced in remote locations away from light pollution.

The project arises from King’s practice-based PhD ‘Ancient Light: Rematerialising The Astronomical Image’, completed at the Royal College of Art in 2024. In this book, King highlights the connections between light emitted from deep within the cosmos, photographic materials and the ecology of Earth. The book includes an essay by Professor Val Williams and an introduction by Dr Melanie King.

The launch included projections from the series ‘Ancient Light’ by Dr Melanie King, and sounds curated by Clementine Blue.