Our Home in Space: Our Shared Night Sky

Dan Monk's exhibition Our Home in Space: Our Shared Night Sky is open at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art in Culture House Sunderland, Keel Square, and it runs until Saturday 14 November. It's a collection of eight astrophotographs by Monk, who was born here in Sunderland, and the images take some of the city's most recognisable landmarks and place them under star-filled skies. You'll spot the Roker Lighthouse, Penshaw Monument, St Peter's Church and the River Wear, all reimagined beneath the night sky.

There's more to it than just the photos, though. Alongside the prints, the exhibition brings together local residents' memories of the night sky through writing and recorded voices. Those are paired with a newly commissioned soundscape by Bert Verso, which he created in collaboration with Kielder Observatory. So it's as much about people's personal connections to the stars as it is about the images themselves.

The whole thing has a strong local thread running through it. The exhibition was developed with Kielder Observatory, whose founder and first director, Gary Fildes, grew up in Sunderland. Dan Monk himself was the observatory's first employee and is now its Director of Astrophotography. Curation and artwork are by Posy Jowett.

It's free to visit, and the gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm, so you've got plenty of time to catch it before it closes on 14 November. You'll find it at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Culture House Sunderland, Keel Square, SR1 3ES.