Explore different stories of the night sky at the Rotary Centre for the Arts

A new outdoor exhibit called Celestial Bodies at the Rotary Centre for the Arts lights up every evening for Kelowna residents to enjoy.

From now until Feb. 28, between 5:30 and 10 p.m., the exhibit comes to life outside visually and through sound, free of charge.

Celestial Bodies is a multicultural collection of media which explores stories of the night sky.

“[The] main idea of the project is that we all look at the same skies: the Northern Hemisphere, but we attach different stories to them. Each person who made a contribution was retelling their own story, but it also reflects in a miniature, the Canadian multiculturalism,” says Aleksandra Dulic with UBC Okanagan’s faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.

Dulic along with UBC Okanagan’s Miles Thorogood directed and co-created the show along with a diverse collection of artists.

Celestial Bodies has come to life through Light Up Kelowna - a partnership between UBC Okanagan and the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan.

“Its a combination between digital animation, hand drawn artworks, characters, scenery, and it’s all combined into the production which also includes the sound designs,” says Thorogood. “We have been working with musicians in Vancouver and locally to compose sounds that accompany the animation.”

Celestial Bodies tells four different stories including the Big Dipper story from the Haudenosaunee Nation, the Chinese story of Weaver Woman, a Greek story highlighting the mythology of human desires and emotions through heroes and Gods and a suspenseful African story called ‘Why the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars live in the Sky?’

“What we’ve observed is the power of art has increased during this time of crisis and COVID, and the overall sense of wellbeing and connectedness to others is really where we’re suffering the most,” explains executive director of the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan Kirsteen McCulloch. “Art in its power brings us closer together, it takes us outside of ourselves and allows us to enjoy another experience.”

This is the second projection series to light up outside of the Rotary Centre for the Arts and residents can look forward to more exhibits as the season continues. Visitors are reminded to practice COVID-19 protocols such as physical distancing when enjoying the exhibits.